How It's Used

"We can mourn the demotion of our favorite planet. But the best way to honor [Percival] Lowell and [Clyde] Tombaugh is to celebrate the fact that Pluto—while never quite the world it was predicted to be—is part of a universe more complex, varied and surprising than even its discoverers could have imagined. Of course, for those of us who grew up chanting 'My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us New Pizza,' nine planets will always seem more fitting than eight. New facts are unsettling. But with the right mindset, the new glories can more than make up for the loss of the old."—Michael Byers, "Even More Things in Heaven and Earth," The New York Times, February 4, 2011.

Links

Related on eAlmanac
The Five Naked-Eye Planets

Beyond eAlmanac
Wikipedia article on the Solar System
"Tour of the Solar System" on Star Talk Radio with Neil deGrasse Tyson
NASA website on the Planets and Solar System