Size doesn't matter

Weird how many people seem to think it’s like a competition or something. It’s a descriptive label.

The whole Pluto thing taught us a lot about the psychology of letting go of something taught at a young age. People getting proper frothing at how they shoulda just let Pluto keep it, just to save themselves the extremely minor cognitive dissonance.

Well ... what planet does Mercury orbit? Oh ... yea, then its not a moon.

People fighting for Pluto that it should be a planet instead of a dwarf planet

Ceres: 🥺

Context: Ceres is now considered a dwarf planet, and used to be considered just an asteroid, but when it was first discovered it was considered a planet. That was in 1801. There is no objective criteria for what a planet is and isn't. Like a lot of things in nature, things just exist, and as humans we categorize them. Ceres is round like a planet like Pluto. I'm not saying it should be considered a planet, I think dwarf planet fits them both nicely. As late as the 1950s Ceres was still sometimes considered a planet by some people.

I have a sort spot for it. I love it.

Edit: Because two people have misunderstood me now I'm going to say it more explicitly. I'm fully aware there is a scientific definition for dwarf planets. I'm not saying there isn't. I'm just saying compared to something else like prime numbers there isn't an obviously correct way to categorize them and the definition has changed over time. By stating the current definition of planets and/or dwarf planets you're missing my point. Those definitions change. See here for the history.

Gas giants aren't planets: they're just clouds, man.

well guess which Moon is also pretty close in size to Mercury

Git Gud Ganymede, break out of Jupiter’s orbit

Don't take Mercury for granted.

This is how we lost Pluto to the "well ackchually" gang.

I love how i get knowledgeable stuff under such memes

Best part of lemmy

New York City born and raised.

I distinctly remember a third grade class when the teacher told us that the population nation of Sweden was smaller than the population of New York City.

Nobody does indignation like a 9 year old.

Mercury used to be bigger than it currently is. The only thing that's survived the wrath of The Sun is its core.

Wait... How do we know Ganymede orbits Jupiter and not the other way around? 🤔