| Janet H
|
| 1243347. Mon Jul 24, 2017 4:54 pm |
 |
|
| Never mind how many Moons the Earth has, how many planets does the sun have? |
|
|
|
 |
| tetsabb
|
| 1243371. Tue Jul 25, 2017 4:44 am |
|
|
Creak, creak, slither
(The sound of a can of worms being opened)
OK, I'll bite.
Pluto got relegated a few years back. So eight.
However, the hunt is on for so-called Planet 9, somewhere out in the Kuiper belt.
But I have seen/heard rumblings that there be yet another, even further out. Chilly.
So I will go for 10, but am willing to change my view in light of better evidence.
<<Awaits klaxon |
|
|
|
|
| Janet H
|
| 1243387. Tue Jul 25, 2017 8:59 am |
|
|
Personally I'd go with a 'Nobody knows', because the current definition is possibly open to human interpretation and beyond Neptune there's all sorts of big rock.
Wiki gives a good introduction to the controversies surrounding the issue.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definition_of_planet |
|
|
|
|
| tetsabb
|
| 1243409. Tue Jul 25, 2017 12:54 pm |
|
|
| I thought they all count as planetesimals, or dwarves, as they have not cleared their orbits of other material, and that was one of the crucial factors in defining a proper, grown-up planet. |
|
|
|
|
| crissdee
|
| 1243421. Tue Jul 25, 2017 3:38 pm |
|
|
| Janet H wrote: | | Personally I'd go with a 'Nobody knows', because the current definition is possibly open to human interpretation |
Errrrr..... there's no "possibly" about it. It can only ever be human interpretation. Who else do you know about that has a say in it????? |
|
|
|
|
| DVD Smith
|
| 1243995. Mon Jul 31, 2017 12:27 pm |
|
|
One thing that is a definite "nobody knows" is why Saturn's north pole has a cloud pattern in the shape of a perfect hexagon. During observation it also changed in colour from bright blue to gold, and again, nobody knows why.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn%27s_hexagon
A great P-subject for discussion is of course Pluto, which has had so much discovered about it in the last two years that I almost want to make a separate thread for it. |
|
|
|
|
| gruff5
|
| 1244217. Wed Aug 02, 2017 5:56 am |
|
|
| Janet H wrote: |
|
What on Earth is going on with 2003 EL61?! Is it made of liquid nitrogen and spinning at a very fast rate? |
|
|
|
|
| PDR
|
| 1244219. Wed Aug 02, 2017 6:16 am |
|
|
| Janet H wrote: | | Never mind how many Moons the Earth has, how many planets does the sun have? |
None, because having planets implies possession, and property is theft.
PDR |
|
|
|
|
| Dix
|
| 1266968. Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:09 pm |
|
|
A bit tenuous, but I just found out that two books published by Tycho Brahe in the late 1500s are being digitized and are to be made available online. Plus they are planning a "what did Tycho Brahe observe on this date" where you can look up his actual observations.
There's bound to be planets in it.
To be launched in February 2018.
Watch this space.
Source: https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/regionale/fyn/astronom-faar-lov-kigge-tycho-brahe-over-skulderen |
|
|
|
|
| tetsabb
|
| 1271489. Sun Jan 21, 2018 12:13 pm |
|
|
I wonder if post 1271440 might provide some entertaining banter, especially if panellists included denizens of either Canada or God's own county.
I can just imagine Sandi's face if she said, "Readers were asked what their ideal planet would be like.
One replied, 'Like Yorkshire'" |
|
|
|
|
| Spud McLaren
|
| 1271520. Sun Jan 21, 2018 3:51 pm |
|
|
| Now, "Like a Yorkshire [pud]", I could go with. |
|
|
|
|
| crissdee
|
| 1271526. Sun Jan 21, 2018 4:21 pm |
|
|
| Would that have an enormous crater filled with gravy? |
|
|
|
|
| Spud McLaren
|
| 1271534. Sun Jan 21, 2018 4:50 pm |
|
|
| No, because then you probably wouldn't want to put jam on it. |
|
|
|
|
| tetsabb
|
| 1271572. Mon Jan 22, 2018 7:07 am |
|
|
Jam on a Yorkshire pud?
Heretic!!! |
|
|
|
|
| ali
|
| 1271579. Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:01 am |
|
|
| gruff5 wrote: | | What on Earth is going on with 2003 EL61?! Is it made of liquid nitrogen and spinning at a very fast rate? |
It is now known as Haumea, and it has a rotational period of slightly under 4 hours. |
|
|
|
|
