Pluto No Longer A Planet

[Antioch]

Don't know if you heard the news, but our solar system was reduced by one the other day. No, we didn't have a planet obliterated by a meteor or something. A bunch of astronomers with obviously nothing better to do changed the definition of a planet. It now does not include Pluto as a planet, as it does not have enough mass to clear it's orbit around the sun.

So, now we have 8 planets in the solar system instead of 9. What are your thoughts on this new development?

[rincewind]

Well, I think the definition is pretty retarded, as there are loads of asteroids out there, including some around Jupiter, and I don't think that means that it's not a planet. And I doubt Mercury managed to clear its orbit, the Sun probably had more to do with that. But I can see their point that if Pluto remained a planet, they had to add 3 more, so whichever way things go it would have gotten complicated.

[Antioch]

Yeah, I heard about the 3 or more added planets. That would have gotten confusing. Pluto is the odd man out normally anyway with its irratic orbit of the sun. I just think it's so funny...of all the things to spend weeks debating.