Discovery of Eris, the largest known dwarf planet

[Honey]

The discovery of 2003 UB313 Eris, the 10th planet largest known dwarf planet

"Eris, the largest dwarf planet known, was discovered in an ongoing survey at Palomar Observatory's Samuel Oschin telescope by astronomers Mike Brown (Caltech), Chad Trujillo (Gemini Observatory), and David Rabinowitz (Yale University).  We officially suggested the name on 6 September 2006, and it was accepted and announced on 13 September 2006. In Greek mythology, Eris is the goddess of  warfare and strife. She stirs up jealousy and envy to cause fighting and anger among men. At the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the parents of the Greek hero Achilles, all the gods with the exception of Eris were invited, and, enraged at her exclusion, she spitefully caused a quarrel among the goddesses that led to the Trojan war. 

In the astronomical world, Eris stirred up a great deal of trouble among the international astronomical community when the question of its proper designation led to a raucous meeting of the IAU in Prague. At the end of the conference, IAU members voted to demote Pluto and Eris to dwarf-planet status, leaving the solar system with only eight planets."

http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/

(You guys probably know all about this but I just came across this site & thought it was interesting - also has some pix & a bit of the story & timeline behind.  Reads a little like modern day mythology I thought what with yet another snub & the demotion.  Mike Brown is the guy from Caltech credited with the find.)

[Kai]

Yes, we've gone over it before.

Its been a while since someone posted a link to it.

[East Coast Hustle]

The discovery of 2003 UB313 Eris, the 10th planet largest known dwarf planet

"Eris, the largest dwarf planet known, was discovered in an ongoing survey at Palomar Observatory's Samuel Oschin telescope by astronomers Mike Brown (Caltech), Chad Trujillo (Gemini Observatory), and David Rabinowitz (Yale University).  We officially suggested the name on 6 September 2006, and it was accepted and announced on 13 September 2006. In Greek mythology, Eris is the goddess of  warfare and strife. She stirs up jealousy and envy to cause fighting and anger among men. At the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the parents of the Greek hero Achilles, all the gods with the exception of Eris were invited, and, enraged at her exclusion, she spitefully caused a quarrel among the goddesses that led to the Trojan war. 

In the astronomical world, Eris stirred up a great deal of trouble among the international astronomical community when the question of its proper designation led to a raucous meeting of the IAU in Prague. At the end of the conference, IAU members voted to demote Pluto and Eris to dwarf-planet status, leaving the solar system with only eight planets."

http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/

(You guys probably know all about this but I just came across this site & thought it was interesting - also has some pix & a bit of the story & timeline behind.  Reads a little like modern day mythology I thought what with yet another snub & the demotion.  Mike Brown is the guy from Caltech credited with the find.)

HOLY FUCK! THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS TO OUR ATTENTION!!!

[Triple Zero]

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Oh my god, you guys, did you hear about the big tsunami???

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4381395.stm

[Cramulus]

did you guys hear about Robert Anton Wilson dying?


http://smeglight.org/old_douche_kicks_the_bucket_what_a_raw_deal.html

[East Coast Hustle]

Did you guys hear about this internet thing?

[hooplala]

Ever heard of this Jesus guy?  He seems pretty cool.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Holy crap, I was just down by the river and the guys were talking about this thing they're calling "fire"! Apparently it's pretty hot.

[Fuquad]

Did you hear Joe's kid just left the water?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Fucking A, I just divided!

[Requia ☣]

Have you heard about this new RNA thing?

[fomenter]

did you guys hear about rubbing a stick against a rock? it gets pointy and you can poke things with it.

[Sheered Völva]

Holy crap, I was just down by the river and the guys were talking about this thing they're calling "fire"! Apparently it's pretty hot.

[Honey]

   Can't say I didn't see this coming!  Just this – I was away for a little while & when I came back I was under the impression that searches had been causing a drain on the server?  When I saw Kai's response, I figured it was ok to search for older topics so I went back & read them.  I'd like to ask RWHN a question or 2 or pm him on his return from hiatus.

I also didn't mean to offend anyone by posting this link.

I haven't been coming here very long and, before coming here, didn't know anything about Eris the Goddess.  I did know about Eris the planet tho & had read about the controversy surrounding the classification system in the International Astronomy world.

I've been interested in Astronomy since I was a little kid, also interested in Mythology & Astrology (among other things).  I kinda like how Astronomy tips its hat to Mythology ie naming planets & such.

Long story short, I thought this might be of interest to some of the newer people here who (much like me) might've been aware of the planet but not the Goddess or visa versa.

Also, the modern day mythology aspect appealed to me.  In a nutshell:

Eris is invited to join the pantheon of Gods & Goddesses including Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune & Pluto who have planets named for them.

The International Astronomical Union gives the ok but then says uhh, er, ahem uh yoo hoo Eris?  You & Pluto are now demoted to dwarfs.  Hah!  Yet another snub, & this time from puny humans!

I also like how Mike Brown expresses his continuing wonder & excitement about Astronomy & discovery.  I like what he says about the classification debate & "the astronomical confusion", in short, I like the way he writes.

Also like what he says about peer reviews & speaking to the press here:

http://www.mikebrownsplanets.com/2008/11/land-ho.html

Similar in many ways to "peer review" on PD.com (not being sarcastic here in case anyone is wondering).  I think you have to have a pretty thick skin around here sometimes, but mostly, if you come here acting like a prick, prima donna, as if you've got something to prove, or are routinely whining, well you can expect to be treated that way.  If you come here to learn & be exposed to differing ideas, you can do that too.  Diversity in perspective, opinions or minds makes any experience more valuable, maybe even helps to prevent stagnation.   

Sometimes when I get home after a long day, I like to imagine Eris as Goddess, helps me to feel "like a tired child home from a very wild circus" & I like that part.  & sometimes, when someone asks, "who is the smartest?" or "who is the most horrible bastard?" (Eris knows Roger is, & why fuck around?), I like to imagine Eris rolling an apple into the crowd just to playfully fuck with people's heads.

"Progress is nothing but the victory of laughter over dogma."
-Benjamin DeCasseres