Who Killed the Plutons?

It seems that those of us who take even the vaguest of interests in these things were a little too fast off the mark. A little previous as it were, to use the vernacular.

Yesterday we lived in a solar system of nine planets, with high hopes of expanding it EU-like, to twelve. Not so. Another report from Auntie, picking up on that noted by your favourite correspondent¹ on 16 August tells us that we have in fact lost one. As of now, there are only eight planets. Pluto has been booted out of the club, and its extended family has not been admitted. So, no Pluto and no Plutons, either.

In fact, the name Pluton for Pluto-like bodies seems to have been abandoned, too. They are now Trans-Neptunians!²

And still no jokes about the Van Halen Belt!

¹That would be Me, oaf!
²Which isn't even a little rocky number that cross dresses as a gas giant, so no fun to be had there, either.

Who Killed the Plutons?

It seems that those of us who take even the vaguest of interests in these things were a little too fast off the mark. A little previous as it were, to use the vernacular.

Yesterday we lived in a solar system of nine planets, with high hopes of expanding it EU-like, to twelve. Not so. Another report from Auntie, picking up on that noted by your favourite correspondent¹ on 16 August tells us that we have in fact lost one. As of now, there are only eight planets. Pluto has been booted out of the club, and its extended family has not been admitted. So, no Pluto and no Plutons, either.

In fact, the name Pluton for Pluto-like bodies seems to have been abandoned, too. They are now Trans-Neptunians!²

And still no jokes about the Van Halen Belt!

¹That would be Me, oaf!
²Which isn't even a little rocky number that cross dresses as a gas giant, so no fun to be had there, either.