Is Pluto a Planet?
(Our brief AGM will be held before the talk)
Is Pluto A Planet?
Presented by Jerry Stone FBIS FRAS
Pluto was in the news in 2015 as the New Horizons spacecraft – which has Jerry’s name on it – finally reached Earth’s distant cousin in the outer reaches of the Solar System, after a journey of 9-½ years. But did it actually encounter a planet?
Just 7 months after New Horizons was launched back in January 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted to re-classify Pluto as a Dwarf Planet, resulting in uproar in the astronomical community and starting a controversy that still divides opinion among astronomers and the general public alike. But does it need to? Is there not a simple answer?
“Is Pluto A Planet?” covers the thorny question of the status of Pluto. It looks in detail at the IAU definition of a planet and some of its unexpected – and unintended – consequences. To give an example, Jerry can show that Jupiter – the biggest object in the Solar System after the Sun – is actually a dwarf planet! He can also show that it isn’t a planet at all … So how many planets do we really have? Is it 8, 21 or maybe only 3?
This is Jerry’s most controversial presentation, and includes some things that one professional astronomer has told him he shouldn’t be saying!
About this month’s speaker
Jerry is a Freelance Space Presenter and runs Spaceflight UK; He is a space expert, presenter, author and broadcaster! He has given presentations on astronomy and space exploration for over 50 years all over the UK and abroad. He is often interviewed on radio and TV; He was was on Sky News covering Tim Peake’s mission on the International Space Station, and on Sky and the BBC to cover the passing of Neil Armstrong.
His work has been recognised by NASA.
He has spoken about space exploration at the British Science Festival, the Edinburgh Festival, the Palace of Westminster, the Royal Institution, the World Science Fiction Convention … and a rock festival!
He is also an interplanetary poet! NASA’s Mars probe, MAVEN, is in orbit around the Red Planet, and like various other spacecraft, it has his name on it, stored on a DVD. Not only that, but the DVD also includes a poem he wrote! No other space presenter in the UK can make this claim.
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Anyone is welcome – beginner or expert – and there is no need to pre-book. A small charge applies to help us cover costs (typically £3 for non-members; £2 for NEAS members; U16s free). Doors open at 7.15pm with the AGM starting at 7.30pm and the talk starting at 8.00pm.
Note that if you are using satnav system, the postcode may not take you directly to the hall – please check this Google Maps link if you aren’t sure: https://goo.gl/maps/fNxmg9qnAYm