by Anthony Barreiro » Mon Mar 17, 2014 8:58 pm
JohnD wrote:Milky Waster wrote:From an astrological perspective, Harrison Schmitt, as a Cancer born July 3rd, 1935, is the only human so far to set foot on his ruling planet - the Moon.
First, the Moon is not a planet.
The same word can have more than one meaning.
The original meaning of "planet", "wanderer" from the Greek, is a celestial object that appears to move against the background of the fixed stars. By this definition, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are the planets that have been known since antiquity. After Copernicus and Kepler worked out the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn around the Sun, and Galileo observed moons orbiting Jupiter, planets (including Earth) orbiting the Sun were distinguished from moons orbiting planets. There have been further tweaks after it was figured out that comets are orbiting the Sun rather than being atmospheric phenomena, after the discovery of asteroids, and after the discovery of Kuiper belt objects. Now that we're finding planets orbiting other Suns, and things that look like planets in interstellar space, the definition of "planet" is under new strain and will probably have to be elaborated again.
As our understanding of the universe grows, we need to develop our language. But it's also helpful to remember the history of our words, as they hold the story of our understanding.
Then, why do you, apparently an astrologer, come to an astronomer's messageboard, if not to proslytise?
I fear your words will fall on stony ground, as bare, stony and infertile as the Taurus-Littrow valley.
John
When I'm doing public outreach and somebody says something astrological, I don't spit venom and condemn them as a proselytizing heretic. I try to find a connection between what they're talking about and current scientific understanding. In this case, I might talk about the different meanings of the word "planet." I find you can interest more people in astronomy by understanding where they're at and teaching them something new than by telling them they're wrong, stupid, and evil. That's just my experience, yours may be different.
[quote="JohnD"][quote="Milky Waster"]From an astrological perspective, Harrison Schmitt, as a Cancer born July 3rd, 1935, is the only human so far to set foot on his ruling planet - the Moon.[/quote]
First, the Moon is not a planet.[/quote]
The same word can have more than one meaning.
The original meaning of "planet", "wanderer" from the Greek, is a celestial object that appears to move against the background of the fixed stars. By this definition, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are the planets that have been known since antiquity. After Copernicus and Kepler worked out the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn around the Sun, and Galileo observed moons orbiting Jupiter, planets (including Earth) orbiting the Sun were distinguished from moons orbiting planets. There have been further tweaks after it was figured out that comets are orbiting the Sun rather than being atmospheric phenomena, after the discovery of asteroids, and after the discovery of Kuiper belt objects. Now that we're finding planets orbiting other Suns, and things that look like planets in interstellar space, the definition of "planet" is under new strain and will probably have to be elaborated again.
As our understanding of the universe grows, we need to develop our language. But it's also helpful to remember the history of our words, as they hold the story of our understanding.
[quote]Then, why do you, apparently an astrologer, come to an astronomer's messageboard, if not to proslytise?
I fear your words will fall on stony ground, as bare, stony and infertile as the Taurus-Littrow valley.
John[/quote]
When I'm doing public outreach and somebody says something astrological, I don't spit venom and condemn them as a proselytizing heretic. I try to find a connection between what they're talking about and current scientific understanding. In this case, I might talk about the different meanings of the word "planet." I find you can interest more people in astronomy by understanding where they're at and teaching them something new than by telling them they're wrong, stupid, and evil. That's just my experience, yours may be different.