Usbek & Rica – Pluto’s impossible mourning, the “planet of discord” which is no longer a

At first glance, one might almost believe in an image of our moon, greyish and constellated with craters. For example, But its southern hemisphere is much darker, and a task recalling the shape of a heart attracts the eye.

This star is Pluto. For example, Immortalized ten years ago by the New Horizons probe. Similarly, which then revealed to us the first images in good quality of this dwarf planet, formerly considered as the ninth planet of our solar system. Furthermore, Since 2006, Pluto has no longer occupied this place in our cosmic pantheon. However, it remains precious in the eyes of astronomers and the general public. For example, “That day, we expected something beautifulrecalls the astronomer Olivier de Goursac. Moreover, But not at this point, it was incredible! Then a member of the Astronomical Society of France. Furthermore, the man who had usbek & rica – pluto’s worked on the project having resulted in New Horizons since 1989, had organized a special evening to discover these first images in public.

A questionable downgrading – Usbek & rica – pluto's

It must be said that Pluto fascinates. “” It is a human story before being a scientific story ». Ensures Olivier de Goursac who published in 2023 a book dedicated to the dwarf planet entitled Pluto, quest, exploration, controversy (éd. Illustrated).

Discovered in 1930 by the American Clyde Tommegh, it is long considered an essential part of our solar system. But in 2006, the wheel turned. The international astronomical union organizes a week of debate and then a vote with, as a consequence, its declassification. The argument is simple: Pluto does not respond to the definition of a planet. “” At that time. we thought there were many other planets of a similar size on the orbit, that Pluto had not “cleaned up” details Olivier de Goursac. usbek & rica – pluto’s It would then have been necessary to add several hundred stars. But the reality is more complex than that. »

In his book, the astronomer tells how the vote, during this famous congress, posed some problems. A very small number of UAI members was able to take part in it. and the debate was stormy between the various specialists. Worse: it is later confirmed that the hundreds of promised Pluto ultimately do not exist. “” In the end, the big Plutonian objects are Eris etbut no more. It would have been possible to add them without declassifying Pluto. and we would then have had a system with 11 planets, which could have agreed to everyone. »

The Americans. of which Pluto represents the mere fact of weapons in the planetary discovery, are many to be mounted in the niche. But they are not alone in the battle. “” This decision was made usbek & rica – pluto’s for bad reasonsconsider Olivier de Goursac. If there had been a real scientific consensus, it would have been more easily accepted. But there, geologists were not taken into consideration for example, we only listened to orbital mechanics specialists. »