Boy seems hurt by Pluto’s exclusion from planet club

By Ric Bruce 5 Comments

The American Museum of Natural History opened its new Rose Center for Earth and Space on February 19, 2000. A month later, the museum received this letter from a perceptive seven-year-old named Will Galmot, who had noticed Pluto’s conspicuous absence from the exhibit area featuring models of the planets. He was the first person to write about the matter, which would otherwise remain out of the limelight for almost a year.

Neil deGrasse Tyson and Pluto dog

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See all the letters the museum received at NOVA

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  • http://laurele.livejournal.com laurele

    He doesn't need to be hurt, as even Neil de Grasse Tyson admits there is no consensus among astronomers as to Pluto's planet status. That means many do still consider Pluto a planet.
    Yes, dwarf planets are still planets. You are far from alone in this conviction. The decision to demote Pluto was made by only four percent of the IAU, most of whom are not planetary scientists, in a process that violated their own bylaws. It was immediately opposed in a petition of an equal number of professional astronomers led by Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto and a leading authority on Pluto in the world

  • ingenial

    Thank-you very much for your comment. You seem quite knowledgeable and passionate about this subject. If you don't mind me asking what's your background in planetary science?

  • http://laurele.livejournal.com laurele

    I'm actually a writer and amateur astronomer who is also a student at Swinburne University's Astronomy Online program. This is a graduate program but does have introductory courses and accepts people with a bachelors degree or equivalent experience, even if it is not in a relevant subject. Currently, I am taking my third class there. I am also a member of a Amateur Astronomers, Inc. in Cranford, NJ and of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. As you can tell, I felt very strongly that Pluto's demotion was wrong. At the time, the only planetary science background I had was in environmental science, as part of environmental leadership trainings. Since then, I have spent a lot of time learning planetary science, first informally and now at Swinburne. I have been running a blog advocating Pluto's reinstatement and chronicling worldwide efforts toward that end at http://laurele.livejournal.com

  • ingenial

    Yes I checked out your blog after your first comment. Thanks for getting back.
    So do you sort of patrol blogs and websites looking for chances to advocate for Pluto's reinstatement as a planet? Seems like a frustrating and honestly somewhat unrewarding task. However. I give you props for finding our obscure, new blog and posting a reply so quickly. You must be good at what you do. Look out Pluto haters. Laurele is on the case.

  • http://laurele.livejournal.com laurele

    You figured it out; I subscribe to Google alerts on Pluto and do exactly what you say–advocate Pluto's reinstatement in as many places as possible. It's actually not frustrating or unrewarding at all. Quite the opposite; it's empowering because it gives me a chance to present the other view that many people otherwise would not hear. I have a lot of pre-written responses which I often copy and paste. At this point, many astronomers and people interested in astronomy know who I am and what I do, including the IAU! There have been some really nice gestures by supporters; for example, people who write books about Pluto and the solar system send me review copies of their books, and others send me recordings of shows on Pluto from channels I don't get. Thanks for the compliment. When I believe in something, I go all the way in fighting for it. Mike Brown and the IAU really don't stand a chance! :)