Why Pluto Still Matters (Synopsis) [Starts With A Bang]

“I have announced this star as a comet, but since it is not accompanied by any nebulosity and, further, since its movement is so slow and rather uniform, it has occurred to me several times that it might be something better than a comet.” -Giuseppe Piazzi

Shakespeare said a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, and yet, what of Pluto? Is it just as sweet without the name of “planet” attached to it?

Image credit: Don Dixon of http://ift.tt/1rTPYSk.

There’s always room for nuance, but here are some words you may find useful:

The fact that there are other things out there that are bigger, smarter, faster, stronger, or better than you, in any regard, in absolutely no way diminishes how special you are.

Image credit: Clyde Tombaugh’s original images, with Pluto indicated by the arrows.

So it is for Pluto, as well, which still matters tremendously for us, and for science as well. Go read the whole thing.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1FPNW8v

“I have announced this star as a comet, but since it is not accompanied by any nebulosity and, further, since its movement is so slow and rather uniform, it has occurred to me several times that it might be something better than a comet.” -Giuseppe Piazzi

Shakespeare said a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, and yet, what of Pluto? Is it just as sweet without the name of “planet” attached to it?

Image credit: Don Dixon of http://ift.tt/1rTPYSk.

There’s always room for nuance, but here are some words you may find useful:

The fact that there are other things out there that are bigger, smarter, faster, stronger, or better than you, in any regard, in absolutely no way diminishes how special you are.

Image credit: Clyde Tombaugh’s original images, with Pluto indicated by the arrows.

So it is for Pluto, as well, which still matters tremendously for us, and for science as well. Go read the whole thing.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1FPNW8v