Following the demotion of Pluto from its place as the ninth planet in our solar system to being one of several “dwarf planets,” the seemingly universe-shattering decision won’t change astronomy courses very much.
David Hanes, head of the physics department, was a delegate at the conference.
“This thing is kind of like the Olympics of the assembly,” he said. “I missed the vote itself, but I was there for the discussions, and the debates got very heated.” Hanes said his astronomy and physics courses won’t change drastically following the decision.
“I always kind of mention [Pluto] as an anomaly, but overall it’s really inconsequential,” he said.
Hanes said the decision to demote Pluto is a good one.
“If we hadn’t known about Pluto until yesterday, we wouldn’t have even dreamt of calling it a planet,” he said.
Hanes said the decision to make Pluto a dwarf planet proves that science is alive and well, and that it’s willing to change when new information is obtained.
“In a sense we’re only making up for a very old mistake,” said Hanes.
“The funny thing is people are getting so excited about it.”
—With files from Gillian Wheatley
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