h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3506329.stm

Aye, I saw that. Interesting how they stress it is *not* a planet

Whatever happened to Moores planet?

Stephen Fry says Pluto isn't a planet

Its a fish

Fascinating! Is the place I heard (back in the '90s sometime) was gojng to be called Smiley?

No that was just what Smiley's People wanted you to believe it was all cold war games.

Oh, of course...

OK, I just dug through several pages of Askh2g2 backlog to this, but - this time they really *have* found Rupert!

It's called "Sedna", and its probably about the same size as Pluto - so either there are 8 planets in the solar system, or there are 10!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3511678.stm

[and I suspect people will be happier to accept a new planet, than that Pluto wasn't really one in the first place ]

Why are they calling it Sedna? Surely all astronomers are up on the published works of DNA should have given it the correct name?

RF

ah, but in the , it's officially called something else anyway - I forget what (which is the whole point ) - but the name "Rupert" sticks anyway.

So I say we start a global campaign to get the name "Rupert" in people's minds, as a tribute to DNA; sorry astronomers, sorry inuits who you decided to take the name from, but we have a better name already

Well, if it was good enough for them to name the ninth planet after Mickey Mouse's dog then I expect naming the tenth after a checked-trousered bear is perfectly in keeping.

What exactly is a Sedna, anyway? Apart from a reversogram of 'Andes'?

F

Sedna is the name of an inuit sea god, or something. Like, there's a long tradition of naming planets after inuit gods. *NOT!*

RF

I'm trying to remember what the 10th planet was called in the Judge Dredd comics. Hestia, I think.

Number 11 was definately Titan, though.


Geggs

Isn't Titan one of Jupiter's moons?

RF

No, thats Io, Gandymede, Europa and Callisto. Those are the big four, anyway. There's an absolute ton of tiny ones.


Geggs

Didn't we go through all this a few years back? I'm certain I've read about a 10th planet before.

Isn't there some argument that Pluto isn't really a planet?

For about a year or so I was thoroughly convinced there WAS a tenth planet. I had read Mostly Harmless of course, but I think there might have been a similar news story to these and maybe I heard it on my alarm clock radio in half sleep and in my soporific mind I instantly upgraded it to the 'knowledge' section as something I'd 'known' for a while. (sometimes I confuse dreams and RL ).

Anyways, a few years ago when the astronomers were argueing about the 'planetness' of Pluto I saw that we still had only 9 planets (and were about to have 8 if some had there way) and I was very saddened that DNA had lost his planet.. Never mind that it was only me that thought there had ever been an official 10th planet anyway.

Don't know about any neew or undiscovered planets but Titan is actually one of Saturn's moons. It is half as big as the Earth apparently.

Ah, I knew it was one of them big planets!

RF

I'm sure I heard about it after Mostly Harmless, but certainly while DNA was still alive - I remember thinking he'd be pissed off that the universe nicked is idea.

Hmmmm....