Thursday, August 24, 2006 | Final wording on IAU Planet Resolution The Final IAU Resolution on the definition of "planet" is ready for voting; the meeting starts in a couple of hours. Here is the chart: http://planetwaves.net/chart.php?c=pluto_vote The significator for Pluto are, appropriately, the rulers of the ascendant sign, Scorpio. Note the heavy emphasis on passion (Leo) and technicality (Virgo). This really has been the essence of the discussion. Note how much is contained in the 9th house -- a spiritual question, in one aspect, and an academic one, in another. The two rulers of Scorpio are indeed locked in a kind of internal struggle: Mars is square Pluto, and the lunar nodes are involved -- magnifying the issue greatly, drawing in many millions of people. Pluto itself is exactly square the lunar nodes. For people who wonder, "what do the lunar nodes mean" and "what does a square to the nodes mean," consider that Pluto is now square the nodes; that is a description of the turning point. It would appear from the text below that Pluto will be called a dwarf planet, which will be a fairly wide ranging category, eight bodies will retain the title "planet." So, I guess the American Museum of Natural History will have to open up a Dwarf Planetarium. However, I object to their use of the word "planet" in their title at all; most of what you see in shows about at the 'planet'-tarium are stars. Anyway, here is more semantical technobabble for you, actually not so hard to sort out. 24. August 2006, Prague (pretty old city where Kepler drank a few mugs) At the second session of the 2006 International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly, which will be held 14:00 Thursday 24 August, members of the IAU will vote on the Resolutions presented below. There will be separate sequential votes on Resolution 5A and Resolution 5B. Similarly, there will be separate votes on Resolutions 6A and 6B. Following active discussion among IAU scientists at the IAU 2006 General Assembly in Prague, draft Resolution 6b (issued 16 August 2006) has been updated and amended. IAU President Ron Ekers says: "IAU's rules for proposing resolutions are based on an open democratic process and it is a great pleasure for the IAU Executive Committee to see the level of engagement of so many astronomers here. We want to engage as broad a part of the IAU community as possible in the decision-making process to give this Resolution the best chance to be passed." Below are the full texts of "IAU Resolution 5a for GA-XXVI", "IAU Resolution 5b for GA-XXVI" and "IAU Resolution 6a for GA-XXVI" and "IAU Resolution 6b for GA-XXVI". The voting will take place in four steps. The voting on these Resolutions is expected to end today (Thursday 24 August) between 15:30 and 16:00 CEST. This is a rough estimate. According to the revised Statutes approved at the First Session of the General Assembly last week, scientific issues such as Resolutions are decided by majority of those IAU members present and voting at the business meeting. Thus the scientific resolutions, including those on the definition of solar system bodies, will be presented and decided by voting of the individual members. Yellow ballots will be handed out to all IAU members at the entrance. Members will vote by raising these ballots in the air; the number of raised ballots will be counted. The result of the vote should be known shortly thereafter and will be communicated in a public statement. Notes for editors A press conference about the Closing Ceremony of the General Assembly, including the results of the planet-definition vote, will be held at 18:00, in Meeting Room 3.3 of the Prague Congress Center. (It will NOT be possible for journalists to ring in to this conference: they must be there in person.) The panel for the press conference will be:     * Ron Ekers (outgoing IAU President)     * Catherine Cesarsky (incoming IAU President, Member of the Planet Definition Committee)     * Jan Palous (Chair of the National Organising Committee)     * Richard Binzel (Member of the Planet Definition Committee)     * Karel van der Hucht (incoming Secretary General) This press conference will conclude around 18:30 CEST. The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together distinguished astronomers from all nations of the world. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers. The IAU General Assembly is held every three years and is one of the largest and most diverse meetings on the astronomical community's calendar. Contacts Following the vote, some of the members of the planet definition committee will be available for interviews (after the final vote): Richard Binzel Member of the Planet Definition Committee Prague Conference Center, Meeting Room 3.1 Tel: +420-261-177-075 Cell: +420-776-806-297 (during the General Assembly) Junichi Watanabe Member of the Planet Definition Committee Prague Conference Center, Meeting Room 3.3 Tel: +420-261-177-081 Cell: +420-776-806-265 (during the General Assembly) Iwan Williams President, IAU Division III Planetary Systems Sciences Prague Conference Center, Meeting Room 244 Tel: +420-261-177-064 Cell: +420-776-175-769 (during the General Assembly) Owen Gingerich Chair of the IAU Planet Definition Committee Tel: via the Press Room +420-261-177-075 Professor Ron Ekers IAU President Tel: via the Press Room +420-261-177-075 Catherine Cesarsky IAU President-Elect and member of the Planet Definition Committee Tel: via the Press Room +420-261-177-075 PIO contact Lars Lindberg Christensen IAU Press Officer IAU GA 2006 Press office, Meeting Room 3.2 Prague Congress Center Tel: +420-261-177-075/+420-261-222-130 Cellular: +49-173-3872-621 E-mail: lars@eso.org Links     * Programme for the Closing Ceremony: http://www.astronomy2006.com/second-session-and-closing-ceremony.php     * Live public webcast of the Closing Ceremony: http://astronomy2006.com/tv/     * The IAU Web page: http://www.iau.org     * IAU News during the 2006 General Assembly: http://www.iau2006.org     * IAU General Assembly: http://www.astronomy2006.com     * Free registration for the media: http://www.astronomy2006.com/media-accreditation.php RESOLUTIONS Resolution 5A is the principal definition for the IAU usage of "planet" and related terms. Resolution 5B adds the word "classical" to the collective name of the eight planets Mercury through Neptune. Resolution 6A creates for IAU usage a new class of objects, for which Pluto is the prototype. Resolution 6B introduces the name "plutonian objects" for this class. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "plutonian" as: Main Entry: plu • to • ni • an Pronunciation: plü-'tO-nE-&n Function: adjective Usage: often capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of Pluto or the lower world After having received inputs from many sides -- especially the geological community -- the term "Pluton" is no longer being considered. IAU Resolution: Definition of a Planet in the Solar System Contemporary observations are changing our understanding of planetary systems, and it is important that our nomenclature for objects reflect our current understanding. This applies, in particular, to the designation 'planets'. The word 'planet' originally described 'wanderers' that were known only as moving lights in the sky. Recent discoveries lead us to create a new definition, which we can make using currently available scientific information. RESOLUTION 5A The IAU therefore resolves that planets and other bodies in our Solar System be defined into three distinct categories in the following way: (1) A planet1 is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit. (2) A dwarf planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape2, (c) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite. (3) All other objects3 orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as "Small Solar System Bodies". 1The eight planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. 2An IAU process will be established to assign borderline objects into either dwarf planet and other categories. 3These currently include most of the Solar System asteroids, most Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), comets, and other small bodies. RESOLUTION 5B Insert the word "classical" before the word "planet" in Resolution 5A, Section (1), and footnote 1. Thus reading: (1) A classical planet1 is a celestial body . . . and 1The eight classical planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. IAU Resolution: Pluto RESOLUTION 6A The IAU further resolves: Pluto is a dwarf planet by the above definition and is recognized as the prototype of a new category of trans-Neptunian objects. RESOLUTION 6B The following sentence is added to Resolution 6A: This category is to be called "plutonian objects."