My Very Earnest Mother...is confused.

[beetiger]

I know I've got a number of school teachers and kids' librarians on my friends list, so I thought maybe you'd know. What's the order they teach for the planets these days? Is Pluto still in there, and if so, do I recall right that its orbit is inside Neptune's right now and so is the order switched? Is Eris in there? Is there a new mnemonic?

Rhys asked me yesterday and I realized I wasn't quite sure.

Thanks.

Comments

Pluto is currently outside Neptune's orbit

[vik_thor]

http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/P/Pluto.html

What might have confused you, is that Pluto was closer to Sun during much of the time we were in school. (I'm assuming you are close to me in age.)
Pluto was closer to Sun from Jan. 21, 1979, to Feb. 11, 1999 (perihelion was on Sep. 5, 1989).

I never needed a mnemonic for the planets (though for star classifications, I do).

Re: Pluto is currently outside Neptune's orbit

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

I'm probably a bit older than you -- I graduated high school in 1985 -- so when I first learned, Pluto was really the last one.

Re: Pluto is currently outside Neptune's orbit

[vik_thor]

»chuckles« Actually, it sounds like we are quite close. I also graduated HS in 1985. (I was including college in the school years, which I guess isn't really applicable to discussion at hand.)
[and have no idea as to how it is currently being taught re: Pluto's planetary status. It probably depends on the teacher. I can picture some of my teachers saying; "The text book says Pluto is a planet. So that's what you are learning!" while others were very happy to pull in current events.]

I do remember a big deal being made about Pluto being the 8th planet for awhile in '79.

I don't remember specifically learning the planets. Like reading, it is something I feel like I've "always known". I'll just rattle them off in my head, (and I still have Pluto, with a sortof mental footnote that it is no longer considered a major planet.)

(Of course, I was a kid who was reading Isaac Asimov's essay collections at an early age too...)
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