So I was blithely reading the paper the other day, and came across this whole hare-brained scheme to start adding planets to our solar system. “Why, that’s ridiculous!” I thought, and did a dramatic reading for Sailor Boy, right there in the elevator.
And then I pretty much forgot about it because, well, Pluto and the Planetoids (which, by the way, would be a rocking band name) are really far away, and there are some damn pressing matters on Earth right now. (Ceres is right over the other side of mars, but whatever.)
Well then, I was reading the blog of Scott Westerfeld, who is all, Screw the new plan, and while we’re at it, screw the current scheme too. Pluto should not be a planet.
And I thought to myself, Scott, baby, don’t do this to me. I may have to find myself a new professional crush. I may have to start posting willy-nilly about some other hot young YA writer. (Kelly McClymer, whose new book, Salem Witch Try Outs, is on shelves now, might be a good option. If I were shopping. Or maybe I’ll just pick Justine, who should not be reading this right now, becuase she has work to do. Keep it in the family, as it were.)
I was, as Scott so colorfully put it, a culture vulture. I love me my Pluto. My “pizza-pie” in the mnemonic I’ve been spouting since forever. I was siding with John Scalzi and his daughter. Plu-to. Plu-to. I mean, look at how pretty the artist’s rendition of it is. Lonely outpost at the edge of space… it’s poetry, man. Plutonian poetry.
And then I kept reading, and slowly, it occurred to me that Scott and his buddies may be right. Seems this isn’t the first time we’ve reordered the solar system. It’s just the first time we’ve done it recently. According to Scott, and people in the know far more than he is, we spent much of the 19th century giving names (and even pretty ridiculous astrological symbols that look like they came out of some medieval illuminated alchemy handbook) to a whole bunch of asteroids in the asteroid belt. And then we decided that was silly and scrapped the whole plan.
And all of this was pre-Pluto. So I’m thinking, let’s just stop the madness. If getting rid of Pluto (which, by the way is apparently several times larger than Ceres, according to the U.S. Navy) means that we don’t have to suddenly have 20 planets in our solar system, I’m all for it.
Curse you, Scott Westerfeld.
However, I’m not for the “we have four planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune” plan. (Though if you look at one of the newspaper photos of the new proposed solar system, that’s what it looks like: those four and some specks of dust.) Call me biased, but I like the idea of living on a planet. Though maybe I should get all Star Warsy and be satisfied living just on some rock that can sustain life.
All of this, of course, has shown me how appallingly large the gap is between what I know about my planet and what I know about the rest of the solar system. I had no idea Uranus and Neptune were that large. Obviously, in the middle of all of those Geology classes, I should have taken a few about the other planets, but mostly, what I know about outer space boils down to 1) moon geology, 2) sunspots and how they effect the earth, 3) meteorites, and 4) whatever I learned in high school.
Pathetic.
However, that nine-planet mnemonic has always been one of my favorites, so if we’re sticking with eight, we gotta switch it up.
My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us Nectarines?
Doesn’t quite have the same oomph.
PS: Prize goes to the first person who correctly identifies the meaning and stand-ins behind the following mnemonics, which have always been my favorites:
When A Jolly Man Makes A Jump Very High Tyler Pokes Taylor
and
Come Over Some Time Maybe Play Poker Three Jacks Cover Two Queens
August 18th, 2006 at 11:25 am
The first represents the first 12 US Presidents — Washington through Taylor. I’m still working on the second.
Great post, btw.
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August 18th, 2006 at 11:57 am
You’re requiring too much thinking for a Friday when my brain’s already in weekend mode.
I did want to ask since you’re in that area… some friends in the NOVA area sent me a link to the Library of Congress National Book Festival. They’re begging me to come up for it. Have you been and is it worth a trip to DC for?
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August 18th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
Amandag, I’ll give you a hint: it has to do with my collegiate field of study.
Annie, I’ve never been. I’ll ask around for you.
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August 18th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
I did some research and I believe the second Mnemonic refers to the eras and time periods on the geological time scale.
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August 18th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
And stand for?
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August 18th, 2006 at 12:15 pm
I thought it probably was but the closest geological mneumonic I can find follows the “c o s d m p p t j c t q” pattern — Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Tertiary and Quaternary.
Now my brain hurts. Too much thinking. Must find coffee….
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August 18th, 2006 at 12:25 pm
Ah, crap! You’re right, Amandag.
It’s COME OVER SOME *DAY*.
You win.
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August 18th, 2006 at 12:27 pm
Woo Hoo, Amandag
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August 18th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Yeah, um, where’s the “T” coming from, my dear? “Time” should be “Day”, I believe, but mneumonics never really worked for me. And what about the dear old Precambrian? What of the Tertiary and Quaternary epochs (which have always been my favorite)?
Cambrian
Ordovician
Silurian
Devonian
Mississipian (although, shouldn’t we all just be happy with the Carboniferous)
Pennsylvanian (see above)
Permian
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Tertiary
Quaternary
But I was always bound to know this having also received a geology degree from the same school. And like a weirdo, I squealed with joy when I got the newsletter from Leo.
And congratulations all around, Diana. It’s all sorts of awesome.
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August 18th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
What ARE you people talking about? Too much for a Friday afternoon when I’ve just had a big lunch and am counting down the minutes until the weekend!!! = )
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August 18th, 2006 at 12:35 pm
Yeah, it’s “day.” I’ve been bitchslapped appropriately.
WHAT newsletter from Leo? I get no Leo newsletter.
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August 18th, 2006 at 12:46 pm
Diana:
Well, I had to go check the Geologic Time Scale on my wall, but it looks like that’s already been done.
How about my favorite:
Katie Plum Catches Outfield Grand Slams?
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August 18th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
Leo was apparently chairman of the department (and I’m actually quite upset that no one told me because now I have to go give him a belated congrats too), but as his last act as Chairman, he sent out a newsletter from the department chatting about what was happening in KGL and associated buildings. It was sort of cool. You should call up the department and whine about not getting one. Although, I know so few of those folks anymore.
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August 18th, 2006 at 1:24 pm
*slaps Marley a high-five* Yeah… way too much thinking going on in Diana’s blog for a Friday!
Congratulations, Amandag!
And I’ve never been very good with mnemonics. I’m just very proud of myself that I can use the knuckle scheme to remember which months have 31 days!
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August 18th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
You know what rocked MY world view?
Finding out not everyone used the same mnemonic I learned for the planets-plus-that-poser-Pluto:
My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pancakes.
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August 18th, 2006 at 3:06 pm
Excuse me, but WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE ALL SO MUCH SMARTER THAN I AM?
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August 18th, 2006 at 3:15 pm
Smarter? Who is the one who swings going hiking with her dog in the middle of the week?
If I’m looking for signs of intelligence, that would be right up there.
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August 18th, 2006 at 7:31 pm
Well, okay, I guess maybe it’s all relative, but honestly, I thought this was a blog for English majors like me–people with minors like theater and philosophy and French. I’m no match for you scientists. Think from now on I’ll lurk during these conversations and just try to learn.
But you guys are all so cool for knowing even a little bit of this. I am WAY impressed.
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August 19th, 2006 at 1:11 am
Robin, I’m fascinated that the English major in the group is writing the book about the theory of evolution, while the Geology major is limiting her textual jokes to Baroness Orczy, Hester Prynne, and Sense and Sensibility.
This is a blog for everyone.
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August 19th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Robin:
I’m an English major too–English majors unite!
I just ended up as a scientific editor, currently working for a bunch of geologists. {shrug} See, scientists need English majors to straighten out their publications. {g}
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August 19th, 2006 at 4:54 pm
Okay, well, whatever they choose to do, somebody’s gonna hafta rewrite Schoolhouse Rock’s “Interplanet Janet,” and that’s just not right.
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August 21st, 2006 at 5:24 am
Just saw this mnemonic in another Pluto thread (an easy one to source, but hilarious):
Killer Penguins Came Over For Group Sex.
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