Geology 104 Short Exercise (due Monday, Sept 14th)
Reflection on “Pluto: perception & planetary politics”
Please go to the class website, http://classroom.sdmesa.edu/dbarrie/
Then, open the Cool Links page and select the link entitled, Pluto Article by Jewitt and Luu (listed under Origins of Modern Astronomy).
Alternatively, you can access this article directly at::
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/faculty/jewitt/papers/2007/JL07.pdf
This article offers an excellent discussion on why Pluto was recently demoted from a planet to a dwarf planet.
Your Assignment: Please read this article, then write a short reflection piece (hand-written or typed, 2-3 paragraphs) on whether or not you agree with the recent decision of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to demote Pluto to a dwarf planet.
I encourage you to stake out a position on the IAU’s controversial decision and defend your position with good arguments. We’ll have a short discussion on the Pluto issue at the beginning of class on Monday, Sept. 14th.
Please note: I’ll collect this assignment at the beginning of class on Sept. 14th. You must turn in a hard copy of this assignment to obtain credit. No late assignments accepted.