Dr. Nürburg
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Nevernevercreech
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 Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2013 3:16 pm Post subject: The Moon Is Bigger Than Pluto |
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Did you know our Moon is bigger than the dwarf planet Pluto? Believe it or not, some scientists argue this fact makes it a Planet.
Indeed these scientists acknowledge of course that Planets orbit Stars and Moons orbit Planets - thus it is actually a Moon - however - not only is it almost the size of Mercury, but due to the additional fact that it is gradually moving away from us (at the rate of fingernail growth), this means one day it will inevitably be reclassified as a Planet anyway.
In short, the Moon is only a temporary satellite and will eventually become a Wandering Planet, or a Planet in stellar orbit around our Sun. As such, the Earth-Moon relationship is actually a planetary system and not a lunar system. You could say our Moon is "merely passing by" and will one day make its own way through the cosmos.
The Moon is a rocky body and previously had volcanic activity, not only that but even today quakes are detected within its crust and this makes it geologically active. According to the IAU, this is one other variable that would eventually classify it as a Planet.
But at the end of the day it's all just categorization rubbish. Moons can support life - just because they orbit a Planet doesn't prevent them harbouring water or an atmosphere. So the Moon's dusty bland appearance doesn't automatically classify it as a Moon at all.
So look up at the sky tonight, or perhaps during the day, and if the Moon is out, you are more than welcome to say, "Oh wow, heh, look at that beautifully dazzling Planet in the sky!"
I mean we will be living there one day, maybe even terraform it if technology ever allows... so why not call it a Planet? In any case, it's a Planet to me. Sentimentally of course.
Behold, the planet Moon.
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