Scientists find a planet so light it could float on water. - Page 2

Sithdarth · 09-15-2006, 09:24 AM

Except they have been searching for planets out side our solar system for years. I think its going on two decades. Hell they had over 200 of them before this Pluto thing ever hit the mass media. Its just our current detection methods are best suited to finding very large planets with strange orbits. This is not really a new thing its just suddenly been thrust into the light because anything with planet in it is big news now.

Taliesin · 09-15-2006, 11:54 AM

Planet? Sounds like a brown dwarf to me...

The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk · 09-15-2006, 12:12 PM

the word "planet" is obsolete. What do you define as a "planet"? does it have to be a certain size? or does it need to consist of a solid core? depending on which of those you think is what the term "planet" should mean, could mean that this new "planet" should not be considered as such, yet pluto and all these Keiper belt objects should be called "planets". or you may think the opposite, depending on which term you belive to be correct.

or perhaps there are other factors to be considered (orbit of said object, atmosphere, etc)

as for this new one, if it has no solid core, then perhaps it should be refered to as a "gas giant" and not a planet. but then you would have to re-classify a couple of planets in our solar system as well, which would mean Pluto could never agian be considered the "ninth" anything anymore, if it even is or ever really was.

Do you see how confusing it is to try and classify all these things that are out there? there are just too many and of too much variance to simply be given the vague title of "planet". but the important question is this:

"Does it really matter what we call these things?"

Skyshot · 09-15-2006, 12:44 PM

Saw something in the paper today. Apparently the planet they were going to name "Xena" has been formally named "Eris."

A planet recently named after the goddess of discord...nah, that makes no sense at all. Wonder why they would do that.

Can't wait to hear what my astronomy professor has to say about all this. Eris? Puffy planet? He wasn't enthusiastic about the whole Pluto thing; these new developments are gonna drive him mad.

Long-Haired Narcissist · 09-15-2006, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Death by Stabbing

Ok...I'm getting really sick of whoever descovers these planets...ok you can't just make shit up and call it a planet because it fits under loose guidelines...I'm still really mad that Pluto isn't a planet anymore I mean it's been a planet longer than the guy who decided it wasn't anymore has been alive...Now we have a puffy planet? Planets are not puffy...your eyes are puffy when you wake up in the morning not planets.

and just because I want to cuddle this new planet doesn't make it better than Pluto...Long live Pluto our 9th planet forever!

DBS

Get over it, it never did matter whether Pluto was a planet. Besides, this planet isn't orbiting our solar system so IMO it matters even less than Pluto did.

Quote:

WASHINGTON - The largest planet ever found orbiting another star is so puffy it would float on water, astronomers said Thursday. The newly discovered planet, dubbed HAT-P-1, is both the largest and least dense of the nearly 200 worlds astronomers have found outside our own solar system.

POS Industries · 09-15-2006, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shiney

Any relation to Sean 'Puffy' Combs? Is this the OG bling planet? Does this planet, persay, stand for materialist consumption and exorbitant displays of wealth?

Dare I suggest that its chemical composition may even be Cristal?

Quit spamming.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fifthfiend

Hmmmm...

This planet strikes me as Kirbyish.
But also it's a little bit Puff Daddyish.
Mostly I'd say this planet is Willie Nelson.

You, too.

Regarding what officially makes a planet a planet, allow me to point out that, were it on fire, Jupiter would be a star. Pluto fails at being a planet because, not only is it smaller than our moon, it's smaller than its own moon. Furthmore, it's orbital path is so wonky that Pluto spent half the time as our eighth planet.

Planet Charmin-Ultra is a planet because it's big, fairly spherical, and orbits it's star (or stars) in a manner appropriate to a true, blue (or whatever the hell color it is) planet.

Pluto is just a little, bitty rock in space. Get over it.

ApathyMan · 09-15-2006, 01:41 PM

OMG LEIK WAT SUP WITH DOSE ST00PID ASTARNOMERS AND THEIR NOWLEGE!!! HOW DARE THEY MAKE PLUTO INTO A DWARF PLANET INSTEAND OF A REGULAH PLALNET?! Y R THEY SO GAY TO ADAPT THEIR DEFINITIONS AND THEORIES OVER TIME TO GET RID OF USELESS AMBIGUITY AND DEBATE WITHIN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMOUNTINTY??? TAHTS JUST GAY!!! WHAT THE FUCK?! WHY DONT THEY JUST CALL ME A PALNET IF TEHYERE SO GAY! SERIOuSLY!?

I mean... by the older "undefined definition" we could have had some 50~ planets in the Solar System, all of the new ones being small chunks of ice in the Kuiper belt. Now we have different classes of planets, and everybody is happy, except for a few stubborn scientists and people, like me, who don't study astronomy but simply have a passive knowledge of our system.

As far as this new planet is concerned... I was never too keen on gas giants. They always seemed like poseurs to me - which would mean that the answer is that this planet is most similar to Sean Puffy Combs.

TheSpacePope · 09-15-2006, 01:54 PM

The interesting thing about finding the gas giants is the possibility exists of finding a similar solar system to ours. It is in the creation of solar system from nebulae that these plants and bodies form, so it is fairly exciting to see other planets discovered. The main reason that we can only find these gas giants is because we are unable, with current technology, to see a planet the size of earth and distinguish it from dust or farther bodies.

It is funny that they described it as Puffy though.
I bet P diddy just bought it.

Sithdarth · 09-15-2006, 02:24 PM

Oh we have the technology to see Earth sized planets just not the funding. NASA is giving it a shot though. Maybe in the next 30-40 years we'll be naming off earth like and sized planets.

Kerensky287 · 09-15-2006, 02:26 PM

About the whole "Puffy/P. Diddy" thing, I seem to remember seeing The Daily Show where they made fun of the fact that he removed the P from his name. Apparently it was getting between him and his fans.

About the whole planet/nonplanet thing, I think there should just be different classifications of planets. So, you could still call them planets, but they may not be "true" planets, making them... nanoplanets...? Something like that. I think that terrestrial planets like Earth should be the only things to keep the definition of Planet. Meaning that they have water, an atmosphere, and other things necessary to support life. Then come sub-planets, like mercury... gas planets, like Jupiter... see what I'm getting at?

09-15-2006, 01:41 PM	#17
ApathyMan WYLD STALLYNS! Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: The People's Republic of Massachusetts Posts: 439	OMG LEIK WAT SUP WITH DOSE ST00PID ASTARNOMERS AND THEIR NOWLEGE!!! HOW DARE THEY MAKE PLUTO INTO A DWARF PLANET INSTEAND OF A REGULAH PLALNET?! Y R THEY SO GAY TO ADAPT THEIR DEFINITIONS AND THEORIES OVER TIME TO GET RID OF USELESS AMBIGUITY AND DEBATE WITHIN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMOUNTINTY??? TAHTS JUST GAY!!! WHAT THE FUCK?! WHY DONT THEY JUST CALL ME A PALNET IF TEHYERE SO GAY! SERIOuSLY!? I mean... by the older "undefined definition" we could have had some 50~ planets in the Solar System, all of the new ones being small chunks of ice in the Kuiper belt. Now we have different classes of planets, and everybody is happy, except for a few stubborn scientists and people, like me, who don't study astronomy but simply have a passive knowledge of our system. As far as this new planet is concerned... I was never too keen on gas giants. They always seemed like poseurs to me - which would mean that the answer is that this planet is most similar to Sean Puffy Combs. __________________ Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem. By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty. Young God Radio Sprinkled with gumdrops since 1982 Last edited by ApathyMan; 09-15-2006 at 01:50 PM.

09-15-2006, 01:54 PM	#18
TheSpacePope Gigity Join Date: May 2005 Location: Lincoln. Nebraska Posts: 1,536	The interesting thing about finding the gas giants is the possibility exists of finding a similar solar system to ours. It is in the creation of solar system from nebulae that these plants and bodies form, so it is fairly exciting to see other planets discovered. The main reason that we can only find these gas giants is because we are unable, with current technology, to see a planet the size of earth and distinguish it from dust or farther bodies. It is funny that they described it as Puffy though. I bet P diddy just bought it. __________________ Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

09-15-2006, 02:26 PM	#20
Kerensky287 Just That Good Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 3,426	About the whole "Puffy/P. Diddy" thing, I seem to remember seeing The Daily Show where they made fun of the fact that he removed the P from his name. Apparently it was getting between him and his fans. About the whole planet/nonplanet thing, I think there should just be different classifications of planets. So, you could still call them planets, but they may not be "true" planets, making them... nanoplanets...? Something like that. I think that terrestrial planets like Earth should be the only things to keep the definition of Planet. Meaning that they have water, an atmosphere, and other things necessary to support life. Then come sub-planets, like mercury... gas planets, like Jupiter... see what I'm getting at? __________________ People who live in Glass homes should not throw stones or Jerk off at daytime

09-15-2006, 09:24 AM	#11
Sithdarth Friendly Neighborhood Quantum Hobo Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Outside the M-brane look'n in Posts: 5,403	Except they have been searching for planets out side our solar system for years. I think its going on two decades. Hell they had over 200 of them before this Pluto thing ever hit the mass media. Its just our current detection methods are best suited to finding very large planets with strange orbits. This is not really a new thing its just suddenly been thrust into the light because anything with planet in it is big news now.

09-15-2006, 11:54 AM	#12
Taliesin Master of Dirac Function Kata Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kalamazoo, MI Posts: 8	Planet? Sounds like a brown dwarf to me...

09-15-2006, 02:24 PM	#19
Sithdarth Friendly Neighborhood Quantum Hobo Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Outside the M-brane look'n in Posts: 5,403	Oh we have the technology to see Earth sized planets just not the funding. NASA is giving it a shot though. Maybe in the next 30-40 years we'll be naming off earth like and sized planets.