Our Moon Could Become a Planet

anthemaniac writes "Earth's moon is drifting away from us more than an inch every year. In a few billion years, if the system survives, the moon would be reclassified as a planet under the new IAU definition. You gotta wonder if the astronomers who dreamed this definition up had thought of that."

Because *somebody* has to say it...

[Anonymous Coward]

That's no moon!

Got enough time to change the definition

[Ghost Hedgehog]

In a billion years propably the defintion of planet will have a few thousand updates.
The problem will fix itself in time I guess.

It's not a moon...

[aadvancedGIR]

...oh well, forget it, it's still a moon.

Reminds me of that old joke telling that a quick computation on the evolution of this distance placed the moon 4 meters away from the earth 65 million years ago and thus explained why the dinausors died. ...at least the tallest ones.

Re:In a few billion years...

[LiquidCoooled]

...and we will still be waiting to play Duke Nukem forever on our Vista machines.

This is going to complicate things.

[gklinger]

So basically my 100 millionths offspring's offspring is going to have a hell of a job making a solar system model for their fifth grade science project? Yikes! Up to now their only concern was how they were going to pay off my credit card debt.

Seriously though, the International Astronomical Union better give this a second thought. I may be woefully ignornant on the subjecct but I really don't see why sticking with the current definition is a problem. I wish the article gave more information as to why they're 'fixing' that which doesn't appear broken.

Re:Because *somebody* has to say it...

[Flibz]

It's a small NASA movie set!

Re:Many things will happen ...

[Flibz]

In fact we'll only be able to take one item of baggage, which will be a clear plastic bag containing essential items only.

And no electronic devices. Or Liquid.

Orbiting balls of rock won't even fit through the scanner.

Re:So what?

[BecomingLumberg]

"I would gladly send my kid to this elementary school if they could prove that they could teach concepts like orbital decay and barycenters to to nine-year-olds."

I would only send my kid there if they LEARNED it. I have a feeling they most nine-year-olds would be picking boogers during that class.

Re:Many things will happen ...

[Flibz]

And obviously with that happening we'd all be fine...

Re:In a few billion years...

[jtobin]

Nah, we'll all be using Slackware with 2.6 kernel (released a few weeks earlier).

Re:Many things will happen ...

[geoffspear]

We can just build a new moon. With blackjack. And hookers.

Re:What would its name be

[Flibz]

I reckon Eric.

Or Lord Erstwhile HengleBinker III.

Or Uranus. So people can shout "Look, I can see your...." Oh wait. Somebody did that already...

Taking the long view?

[Rob T Firefly]

People are already arguing over things that may happen in a few billion years? I don't even buy green bananas!

Re:Many things will happen ...

[Vengeance]

In fact, forget about the moon.

Seven years ago, to be exact

[Megane]

Remember when that radioactive waste dump on the moon blew up and sent big chunks of it all over the place? Yeah, that was some kind of fireworks. Good thing it was on our side of the planet when it happened or we'd have missed all the fun.

Too bad about that moon base that was on one of the smaller chunks. That thing really hauled ass. Oh well, so it goes.

Re:So what?

[Flibz]

Yup

Faded in the wash...

Re:Got enough time to change the definition

[Flibz]

Nope. None at all. I've not got a time machine or nuffink....

And now I'm going to liberally whip you with my soggy sheet...

Re:Gosh. How shocking.

[kfg]

The moon does not have to escape the Earth's gravitational pull in order to be re-classified as a planet.

Well thank God for that. My head would probably asplode if they decided Mars wasn't a planet, although the Big Ass Red Round Thing has a nice alliterative ring to it.

KFG

Some would say the Earth is our moon...

[Anonymous Coward]

...but that would belittle the name of our moon, which is the Moon.

Re:So what?

[lowrydr310]

I'm almost 26 and I'm picking boogers right now while reading these comments. (I'm serious)

Re:sea levels

[lxs]

But don't worry I am sure Mr President will give you a big pay rise for that wonderfully dismissive comment on the effects of climate change.

Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Re:In a few billion years...

[ortholattice]

It won't be billions of years, it will be in 1999 when there will be a nuclear explosion on the far side of the moon. Then it will travel throughout the galaxy, on the way picking up a hot alien called Maya as its science advisor.

Our biggest problem then ...

[wmaster]

I am hopefully looking forward to this "Golden Age" in just a few billions of years, when our biggest problem definitely will be the fact, that the moon would be reclassified as a planet under the new IAU definition. ;-) Greetings, Chris

Eh. I have a problem with that.

[porkchop_d_clown]

Calling Jupiter a "failed star" is like calling me a "failed super model" - I mean, yeah, there's some similarities between me and a super model but it's extremely unlikely anyone would ever mistake me for one.

IIRC, Jupiter has only about 1% of the mass needed to achieve fusion, so it's a long, long way from being a star. I, on the other hand easily have ten times the mass required to be a super model.

Re:What would its name be

[HTH NE1]

If what?

Re:In a few billion years...

[Crayon Kid]

Phew!

And "moon" was only the name of our moon

[porkchop_d_clown]

Till Galileo made it a generic term. Pity no one thought to maintain the trademark.

Re:In a few billion years...

[oudzeeman]

stop reading slashdot out loud

Re:Many things will happen ...

[vrt3]

A towel should be all we need.

Re:This is going to complicate things.

[Pike]

Could you tell me what the 'current' definition is?

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and that new one.

Re:Who cares?

[Lehk228]

yea it would be annoying if astronomers stopped paying attention to space and only talked about balls and gas

Re:In a few billion years...

[yobjob]

Copy paste that post into a wiki then you'll have a source!

Do the math...

[mysticgoat]

It will happen in a few million years, not billion. Google the math:
distance of barycenter from center of Earth: 2,900 miles
radius of Earth: 3,960 miles
distance of barycenter from Earth's surface: 1,060 miles
same, expressed in inches: 67,161,600 inches
speed of lunar creep away from Earth: 1.6 inches / year
Time until the barycenter is on the surface: 41,976,000 years.

That is pretty dang short in the context of astronomy. Or even in the context of geology. I think it would be truly short-sighted (I use that word deliberately) for astronomers to decide that the Earth and Moon are not a binary planet today but will become one next week (in astronomical time).

The Earth and Moon are a binary planet, have been so for a long time, and will continue to be for quite a while. It would be good if astronomers gave up their traditional notions about this and publicly recognized the truth, because only until then will the geologists and evolutionary biologists begin to take the Moon's influence into account in their own areas.

Damn George Bush!

[pdpTrojan]

If a Democrat was President, this never would happen. Chalk this up to the ineptitude of the Republicans.

Re:Few Billion Years?

[mgblst]

Don't worry, when things get really bad the Stark program will get underway to ensure that some of survive.

Re:It's not a moon...

[Anonymous Coward]

Reminds me of that old joke telling that a quick computation on the evolution of this distance placed the moon 4 meters away from the earth 65 million years ago and thus explained why the dinausors died. ...at least the tallest ones.

I think you mean the intelligent design of this distance.

Re:In a few billion years...

[LiquidCoooled]

Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your podcast.

Re:Many things will happen ...

[tbannist]

Ah, forget about the blackjack too.

Re:Moon a Planet? My *ss!

[spun]

You're probably one of those people who also complains about slashdot stories being old news and out of date. Now slashdot gives you a story a few billion years early and you complain about that, too. Sheesh, some people are never satisfied.

Re:What would its name be

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't worry. In 2620 the name of Uranus will be changed to get rid of "That Stupid Joke" once and for all.

Re:Many things will happen ...

[roman_mir]

ah, screw the whole thing.

Re:Eh. I have a problem with that.

[roman_mir]

Don't go anywhere without a fire extinguisher.

Basketball is a peaceful planet!

[wsanders]

There once was an orbiting entity
Neither planet nor moon in identity
The IAU bickered /.-ers snickered
It was too close to Earth; no Pluton, pity.

If only Abbot & Costello were still around...

[Junior J. Junior III]

"So what planet are you from?"

"I am from planet Moon."

"What?"

"@#)$*(@#($&*(, I told you LAST TIME What's on second!!!! Graaaah!"

Re:What would its name be

[Randolpho]

<Obligatory-Quote person="Khan">
THIS IS CETI ALPHA FIVE!!!
</Obligatory-Quote>

Re:What would its name be

[Krupuk]

Yeah, I know. Changed to Urectum.

Re:What would its name be

[Millenniumman]

If Apple conquers it, it will be called iMoon. If Microsoft conquers it, it will be called Microsoft Genuine Satellite. If GNU conquers it, it will be called MOON (MOON Orbiting Our plaNet). If KDE conquers it, it will be called KMoon.