[meteorite-list] OT: Pluto planet/planetoid

From: almitt <almitt_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:32:50 2004
Message-ID: <40575C42.F7028087_at_kconline.com>

Hi Robert, Bernd, Tom and all,

Regardless of efforts trying to redefine Pluto's status, it was a Planet by definition
for 60 some years. I have little doubt that it is a KB object. I know that Clyde
Tombaugh felt it should remain in a planetary status, grand fathered in. I think it
would be respectful to keep it that way but name new found objects as KB's from here
on out. Sort of a contradiction but how a lot of people feel.

Clyde mentioned to me one time (and it is in his book I think) that because of world
war II a percentage of the sky was not surveyed like they had hoped to and even though
those areas of sky were away from the planetary plane there could certainly be lurking
an undiscovered planet.

Initially when the size of Pluto was measured it was thought to be smaller than 4,000
miles or about 6,300 km across. Perhaps Pluto's moon Charon played a part in this.
When Charon was discovered some different models were applied and a smaller diameter
computed. I believe the measurements of Pluto were done at the Hale Telescope (Mt.
Polarmar Observatory) by Gerald Kuiper ironically.

--AL Mitterling
Received on Tue 16 Mar 2004 02:57:54 PM PST