Pluto gets demoted

The IAU has voted, and according to their new definition of a planet -- "a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a ... nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit" -- Pluto no longers applies because its orbit overlaps with Neptune's.

It has been demoted to "dwarf planet," and is now joined by 2003 UB313 and Ceres. Charon is no longer being considered for classification as a dwarf or otherwise.

I have been thinking over the last few days about the IAU's deliberations. Even though Ceres has already been used by astrologers, She has not been in the consciousness of the collective until now. It is as if She has been calling out for recognition, to have the matters of life she represents taken more seriously.

I also hope that lay people don't think less of Pluto just because He has been demoted. He is, after all, representative of the most powerful, treansformational energy in the universe. If I were an astronomer, I certainly wouldn't want to f*ck with Him!

Tags: astrology astronomy IAU ceres pluto dwarf planet