Just another number

Posted September 14, 2006
Filed under: Humor, Science |

I really wasn’t too concerned about Pluto’s demotion from being a planet. It was a non scientific discussion about a silly serious definition.

Well, at least that was until they decided to TAKE AWAY PLUTO’S NAME. WTF? So, please Mr It’s-Not-A-Planet-Just-A-No-Name-Dwarf Astronomer, what am I supposed to use for my mnemonic now? Huh?

I learned “Mother very thoughtfully made a jelly sandwich under no protest” as a teenager reading Robert Heinlein. And now? “Mother very thoughtfully made a jelly sandwich under no 134340” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. 

[Update: Thanks Dan]
Pluto may have lost it’s planetary status, but it GOT A NEW NUMBER! It went from merely 9 to a rocking 134340! Wow, what a raise. I am however bummed that my favorite memonic, “Mother very thoughtfully made a jelly sandwich under no protest” learned as a teenager reading Robert Heinlein, no longer works.

Perhaps “Mother very thoughtfully made a cherry jelly sandwich under no protest. Excellent!”  (Hmmm, still doesn’t ring well.) Anyway I still stand to-

Sure tell me Pluto it isn’t a planet, but stop MESSING AROUND WITH MY CHILDHOOD!

2 comments so far

  1. Dan Gerhards on September 14, 2006

    Watch it! This is the way rumors get started! Pluto’s name has NOT changed. Every minor planet has a number AND a name, so if Pluto’s a dwarf planet, it needs a number of its own.

    Don’t worry, no one is going to call Pluto by its number. No one calls Ceres “1″ do they?

  2. blc303 on September 14, 2006

    So actually this is more like a promotion?
    It’s a raise going from 9 to 134340? (Is that management yet?)

    But seriously (Ceres-ly), don’t most bodies have specific naming systems? (Planetary Names: How do we come up with them?) Does that effect Pluto or will the ‘historical’ name take precident?

    Finally, I still have to change my beloved memonic. Perhaps something like
    “Mother very thoughfully made a cherry sandwich under no protest. Excellent!”

    Thanks for the heads up, I’ll update the entry.


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