ASTRO: Defining 'planet' wasRe: [extropy-chat] The list is not dead...

[Mike Lorrey]

--- david <deimtee at optusnet.com.au> wrote:

> mail at harveynewstrom.com wrote:
> 
> > Mike Lorrey writes:
> >
> >> I myself would, beyond my and Sterns definition, divide planets up
> into
> >> the following categories: gas giants, terrestrial planets, and ice
> >> planets. I would regard the round asteroid Ceres as a terrestrial
> >> planet (that it suffers from Jupiter's gravitational imperialism
> is a
> >> separate issue), and all the KBOs that are round as ice planets.
> >
> >
> > I agree totally.  I even wish we didn't distinguish between stars, 
> > moons and planets.  We should describe objects based on their 
> > characteristics.  I would prefer a system like this:
> > X-rayballs: Quasars, Blackholes, etc.
> > Neutronballs: Neutron stars, collapsed stars, etc.
> > Lightballs:  Sun, stars, etc.
> > Heatballs: Brown Dwarfs, Jupiter, Saturn?, etc.
> > Gasballs: Uranus, Neptune, etc.
> > Dirtballs: Earth, Ganymede, Luna, Ceres, etc.
> > Iceballs: Pluto, Charon, 2003UB313, 2003EL61, Sedna, Varuna, Quaoar
> etc.
> > Nonballs(fragments): Irregularly shaped moons, asteroids,
> fragments, 
> > debris
> > -- 
> 
> one suggested change :
> 
> Oddballs : Irregularly shaped moons, asteroids, fragments, debris
> after all, not all balls are round - eg. footballs.   : )

The big question is a consistent name for all those near earth
asteroids that are a threat to us. Here I will take inspiration from
the parody star wars trailer, SW3: A LOST HOPE, by Sequential Pictures
(http://www.sequentialpictures.com):

VADER: "What now, my master?" 
EMPEROR: "Well, I've been working on this for quite some time."
[Palpatine displays a page from the Emperors Note Pad showing a circle
with a smaller circle in it, with a dot in the center....] 
VADER: (confused, asks) ".... A boobie?" 
EMPEROR: "No! It's a battlestation. I call it -- The Sphere O'
Fear.[Vader shakes head] Or, Planet Death. [more negativity] The
Killing Ball? Death Moon. [nope] Giant Hurt Ball! The Deathticle...." 


Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
Founder, Constitution Park Foundation:
http://constitutionpark.blogspot.com
Personal/political blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com

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