Arizona just smacked Big Astronomy in the mouth with its recent declaration that it will be recognizing the oft-put-upon celestial body of Pluto as the official state planet.
Only one problem...
Yeah, some ScIeNtIsTs (NERDS) decided a few years ago that Pluto wasn't a real planet.
But real patriots like those in Arizona don't care what the Neil DeGrasse Tysons of the world think. They are defiant.
From IFL Science:
The US state of Arizona has taken the unusual step of naming a state planet. Even more unusually, they have chosen Pluto - which is not a planet - as their representative in the solar system.
Now, before you start to think of the people from the publications as serious experts, here's the very next sentence in the story:
A surprising number of astronomical bodies have been discovered by observing Uranus.
Yeah, anyone who can read or write that sentence with a straight face is not to be taken seriously. Especially if they're triggered that a state disagrees with them about the status of Pluto as a planet.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded Pluto in 2006 as it did not meet all the criteria for what astronomers call a planet. Though it orbits the Sun, and has enough mass to make it into a nearly spherical shape, it does not dominate its own orbit. Pluto has not tidied up enough of its orbit of other space rocks in order to qualify as a planet, sharing its orbit with other large objects that do not orbit the dwarf planet.
Despite this demotion, Arizona signed a bill making Pluto its official planet, as it was discovered by astronomers in the state.
Good for Arizona. They're making things right in the world.
All I'm saying is that things were better when Pluto was still a planet. And Arizona ought to be proud to be the home of Pluto's discovery.
State pride is a good thing, actually.
"That's a major astronomical achievement and it happened here in Arizona," Representative Justin Wilmeth, who introduced the bill, AZFamily reports. "That's something for every single citizen of this state to be proud of and it's why I decided to sponsor the bill."
"Is it a planet? While many believe it is now a dwarf planet, others in the astronomical community still view it as a planet," Wilmeth added, though we should stress it is not a planet. "Whatever the case, all I wanted to do with this bill is celebrate Arizona's important achievements in space and astronomy."
HAHAHA! Suck it, nerds! Pluto is back on top!
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