An artist’s rendition of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft during its upcoming encounter with Jupiter. Credit: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute
New Horizons has been back in the news again over the last week in advance of its February rendezvous with Jupiter. As noted in their press release:
The fastest spacecraft ever launched, […]

We’re now beginning to see widespread reaction to the International Astronomical Union’s newly-adopted planetary guidelines, from scientists, astronomers, and the general public. Some argue that the end result makes sense both logically and scientifically, given that Pluto’s characteristics tend to distance it from our more prominent planetary neighbors. Others staunchly oppose the verdict, incensed by […]

The vote is in, and Pluto is out.

The IAU members gathered at the 2006 General Assembly agreed that a “planet” is defined as a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) […]

Here’s the skinny, verbatim:
The Final IAU Resolution on the definition of “planet” ready for voting
At the second session of the 2006 International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly, which will be held 14:00 Thursday 24 August, members of the IAU will vote on the Resolutions presented below. There will be separate sequential votes on Resolution 5A […]

This artist’s impression displays a dozen candidate planets currently listed on the International Astronomical Union’s watchlist next to the Earth for scale. The number of planets in our solar system could increase significantly in coming years. Or not. First, the IAU must determine what a planet actually is. Credit: The IAU / Martin Kornmesser
Here’s […]

Artist’s concept of 2003 UB313. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Schaller (for STScI)
It appears that the festivities are getting rather interesting in Prague as astronomers attending the IAU’s XXVIth General Assembly continue trying to hammer out what exactly constitutes a planet. (See my previous entry for more details.)
Richard Fienberg, editor-in-chief of Sky & Telescope […]

Under the new proposal being considered by the IAU, our solar system will include nine twelve planets, and that’s probably just the beginning. Credit: International Astronomical Union/Martin Kornmesser
I’m sure by now you’ve caught wind of the long-awaited news:
The world’s astronomers, under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), have concluded two years of […]