• threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    59·
    6 months ago

    Always “Pluto, Pluto, Pluto”. Why does no one ever remember Ceres, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake? They’re each as much of a “planet” as Pluto is.

    • ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.worldEnglish
      25·
      6 months ago

      Meanwhile I’m more focused on the “invisible 9th planet”

      There’s apparently some gravitational data that says there should be a 9th planet in between Jupiter and Saturn* that we’ve simply been unable to physical observe.

      *I don’t remember the actual placement

      • _NoName_@lemmy.mlEnglish
        15·
        6 months ago

        We’ve had “hidden” planets multiple times actually. In one case, we discovered Neptune by observing that Uranus’ orbit was wonky, and this really Bolstered peoples’ trust of Newton’s gravitational theory.

        The existence of another planet even closer to the sun than Mercury, Vulcan, was also hypothesized by the same astronomer who predicted Neptune’s existence. This was due to Mercury also having a wonky orbit. After Einstein’s general relativity came about though, it was found that no new planet was necessary to explain Mercury’s orbit.

        I think this new planet is the one predicted by Cal Tech “Planet Nine”, is supposedly 10 Earths in size, orbits on average 20 times further out than Neptune, and has a very oblong orbit out in deep space.

        As another ‘fun’ tangent, there is some debate every now and again that dark matter may demonstrate that Einstein’s Theory of Relativity is also flawed and that we’re in need of a new theory. Currently, though, there has not been a sufficient new theory to take its place, so the existence of ‘unseen’ matter still is the strongest explanation we have. I put ‘fun’ in quotes because it seems like this debate is starting to affect astronomers and physicists the same way that 'The Orangutan" affects Edgar Allen Poe experts. Video related

        • MindTraveller@lemmy.caEnglish
          4·
          6 months ago

          If astronomers named Vulcan before we ever saw it, then let’s name planet 9 already. I propose either Erebus (darkness) or Letum (death)

        • doughless@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          6 months ago

          Angela Collier actually goes a little more in depth in that video on why MOND is unlikely, even though she does admit it hasn’t been fully ruled out. I didn’t get the impression physicists don’t talk about it because it causes debates, which she claimed seems to happen more often on the internet. I got the impression that most physicists just think it is unlikely to go anywhere, so they just aren’t as interested in it.

      • DenvilEnglish
        15·
        6 months ago

        I thought we figured out why the calculations were off and it wasn’t actually because of an unknown body out yonder? Is there new evidence or am i just misremembering stuff?

      • ReeferPirate@lemy.lolEnglish
        11·
        6 months ago

        The proposed 9th planet is beyond Sedna and is hypothesized because Kuiper belt objects are orbiting strangely to they figure a gravitational influence from further out is causing it. Uranus was seen doing the same thing and that’s how Neptune was confirmed found.

        • TexasDrunk@lemmy.worldEnglish
          5·
          6 months ago

          Wasn’t it supposed to be way the hell off of the orbital plane? I can’t find anything searching for it now but I swear I remember they thought its orbit would be weird compared to the other planets.

      • threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        10·
        6 months ago

        between Jupiter and Saturn* that we’ve simply been unable to physical observe.

        *I don’t remember the actual placement

        If it were as close as Saturn, we’d be able to easily see it. If additional planets exist, they would be beyond Neptune, and likely quite far beyond it.

      • Neato@ttrpg.networkEnglish
        4·
        6 months ago

        Do you have a link for that? Pluto is tiny and much farther away and we can easily see it. There’s no reason I can think of why we couldn’t see a planet in that orbit, even a small one.

      • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        6 months ago

        We definitely have the telescopes to find it now if it exists, so I’d say it doesn’t exist. What if it’s a tiny black hole? Maybe it’s a wormhole to Alpha Centauri!

        • cynar@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          6 months ago

          It’s theorised to be on an elliptic, off plane orbit. We currently lack the telescopes to do a true sweep of the skies, at the resolution needed to find it. If we know where to look, it’s easy. However, we don’t know where to look right now.

  • Kaboom@reddthat.comEnglish
    7·
    6 months ago

    I still think it should be a honor planet or something. A dwarf planet just sounds bad.

    • freamon@lemmy.worldMEnglish
      2·
      6 months ago

      Please clarify your meaning. Your comment has been perceived as ableist (i.e. disparaging towards people born with the medical condition of dwarfism) and I’d rather not remove it if that perception is based on a misunderstanding. Thanks.

      • Kaboom@reddthat.comEnglish
        7·
        6 months ago

        Oh no, I meant like I was raised to think of it like a planet and not a glorified asteriod, I meant nothing disparaging to anyone.

        • freamon@lemmy.worldMEnglish
          2·
          6 months ago

          Cheers. I was familiar with the term from astronomy, but unsure why the author thought that term sounded ‘bad’. I was trying to engage in active moderation, seeking clarity rather than just nuking anything because it was reported. I’m assuming from your vote that you’d rather I don’t give anyone the benefit of the doubt, so I can do that if you prefer.

          • Iheartcheese@lemmy.worldEnglish
            4·
            6 months ago

            Nope. Didn’t say anything remotely close to that. For someone trying so hard to be ‘understanding’ you seem to like putting negative words in peoples mouth to paint them as bad.

            Anyways, I downvoted you because you remind me of this kind of person. It’s how the person who reported this is behaving and its how you are behaving by giving them the time of day for being offended by scientific terms.

            • freamon@lemmy.worldMEnglish
              2·
              6 months ago

              I try to give anyone who reports something the time of day. Apologies if you don’t think I handled that report correctly.

              Perhaps I should have just PM’d the comment author, so that you wouldn’t have felt the need to get involved.

              • Iheartcheese@lemmy.worldEnglish
                3·
                6 months ago

                I couldn’t resist attempting to help people learn because, at the end of the day, I didn’t actually believe anyone who knows this term could be offended so I figured you just didn’t know about the solar system. That was the extent of my ‘involvement’ until your unfounded accusation.

                Do you always offer to completely change your moderation style when a single new user downvotes you like you did with me? Doesn’t that get a little chaotic?

                • freamon@lemmy.worldMEnglish
                  2·
                  6 months ago

                  I was never offended, which I thought you were clear on before, but apparently not. It would seem like this urge you had to teach others, that you couldn’t resist, was so powerful that you willing to overlook any possibility that it wasn’t required.

                  As for the offer of changing moderation style: yes, I’m willing to change. I’m still feeling my way around it. If enough people communicate, through votes or comments, that my approach is wrong, I’ll re-assess. Obviously though, someone as perceptive as you will have realised that my earlier offer was just for your stuff.