Pluto Not a Planet?

Apparently the tribe of Astroners on the Island known as Earth has spoken- Pluto has been voted off the solar system.

Yep- Pluto, everybody's favorite underdog celestial body, has failed to make the cut.

Apparently, roughly 10 percent of the world's astronomers voted a few days ago to change the definition of the word "planet," and their new definition weeded Pluto out of the bunch. They did so partly because keeping the old definition would mean several dozen new planets would have to be added to the solar register, including Charon, Pluto's satellite, and Ceres, a sizable asteroid near Mars.

So it was either nix Pluto or let a whole new cadre of planets into the procession.

Here's what I think is funny. We have a hard time categorizing the thing we live on.

Trust me, I can't think of a good definition, either, but it's quite humorous to recognize how little we're able to categorize our surroundings. Are planets based on size? Orbit? Presence of satellites? Prettiness? Tradition? If not those, then what?

Regardless of your definition, Pluto will always be a planet in my book. Because that's the way I learned it. Truth, when it comes to something so inconsequential, is irrelevant to the universe as I know it. If Plutonians were to somehow abduct me in my sleep, I certainly wouldn't point out to them that they don't live on a planet. That just seems like a bad idea. On the other hand, if it's a Jeopardy question, I'd go with the astronomers. Truth in this instance, being nebulous, must necessarily change shape relative to the opportunity it presents.

At any rate, our categorization of it changes nothing. We could call it a huffalump, and it would still be what it is- whatever that is. So I find it funny that scientists are arguing over this issue, when they should really be looking for more black holes and aliens. I say "more" because we all know they already landed once in Roswell.

I saw it on TV.