……..and now we’ve named them all…..
Today in class, we discovered two methods for remembering the planets. We decided that we would include Pluto in our memorization because even though Pluto is no longer a planet, it is still an amazing part of our solar system!!
Mrs. Brooks taught us a song from Blue’s Clues that helped us!
Blues Clues Planet Song
Well, the Sun's a hot star,
And Mercury's hot, too.
Venus is the brightest planet,
And Earth's home to me and you.
Mars is the red one,
And Jupiter's most wide.
Saturn's got those icy rings,
And Uranus spins on its side.
Neptune's really windy,
And Pluto's really small.
Well we wanted to name the planets,
And now we've named them all.
Our old-fashioned way of remembering the planets:
|
Sun |
||
|
Mercury |
My |
My |
|
Venus |
Very |
Very |
|
Earth |
Elegant |
Excellent |
|
Mars |
Mother |
Mother |
|
Jupiter |
Just |
Just |
|
Saturn |
Served |
Served |
|
Uranus |
Us |
Us |
|
Neptune |
Nine |
Nachos |
|
Pluto |
Pizzas |
|
Kudos to you for including Pluto because it still IS a planet. Only four percent of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) voted on the controversial demotion, and most are not planetary scientists. Their decision was immediately opposed in a formal petition by hundreds of professional astronomers led by Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto. One reason the IAU definition makes no sense is it says dwarf planets are not planets at all! That is like saying a grizzly bear is not a bear, and it is inconsistent with the use of the term “dwarf” in astronomy, where dwarf stars are still stars, and dwarf galaxies are still galaxies. Also, the IAU definition classifies objects solely by where they are while ignoring what they are. If Earth were in Pluto’s orbit, according to the IAU definition, it would not be a planet either. A definition that takes the same object and makes it a planet in one location and not a planet in another is essentially useless. Pluto is a planet because it is spherical, meaning it is large enough to be pulled into a round shape by its own gravity–a state known as hydrostatic equilibrium and characteristic of planets, not of shapeless asteroids held together by chemical bonds. These reasons are why many astronomers, lay people, and educators are either ignoring the demotion entirely or working to get it overturned.