Sunday, September 10, 2006

Poor Pluto

Poor Pluto got kicked out of an exclusive club called the "Nine Planets of the Solar System". Is this a good or bad thing to occur? I have very mixed feelings about the denotion of Pluto. Ever since I could remember, Pluto was considered to be the ninth planet of the solar system. Of course, Pluto was a quite different planet from the other eight. However, none of the planets were really exactly alike.

Apparently, the debate over what should be considered a planet has been going for a long period of time. It is important to determine the criteria for an orbiting body to be considered as a planet because new celestrial bodies are continually to be discovered. According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), Pluto met 2 of the 3 notions on what is considered to be a planet. As a result, Pluto is considered to be a dwarf planet.

In the field of science, many ideas and principles change periodically. I believe that it is important to illustrate on how science can change, Pluto makes an excellent case. It is important for students to realize that everything printed in a science textbook is not static. In terms of scientific lesson plans, I believe that Pluto should still be included. Pluto is particularly important to illustrate to students on how far it is from the Sun. Sometimes it is very difficult for people to realize on how far is far.