Yes, I said it. Pluto is a planet. That’s what I grew up to. That’s what I believe.
After all, how could those astronomers from way back have been wrong?
Truth is, each new generation of scientists across all fields make their best efforts to define and understand the world around us using the tools of their time. As new tools become available and new minds build on the lifetime work of those who came before, we move one step closer toward what I’ll label the actual truth.
What is the actual truth? An area of study that cannot progress further despite the availability of new tools and new minds. Which is a bit of a cop out since that could mean the tools needed to progress simply haven’t been invented yet (or minds haven’t been born yet) and therefore the actual truth may not indeed be so. Still, we need something to define it, and that is what I came up with.
The summation of what I’m saying is we don’t really know anything for certain, or we’re missing parts needed to ascertain a complete understanding. What is really important is that we keep trying, because it is through the struggle to understand that we uncover the next minuscule piece of a gargantuan puzzle.
So yes, one year Pluto may be a planet and then next year it may not. Hopefully someday we will have the actual truth and end the uncertainty.
In the meantime, it has been determined that this sometimes planet contains giant ice volcanoes, and these volcanoes hint at the possibility of life. The article is very interesting and mentions how someday if we send a probe to Pluto we’ll learn a lot more about this fascinating observation.
And who knows? Maybe then the definition of “planet” will update accordingly and restore what I already know to be true.
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