Pluto has gotten a planetary pink slip, and is no longer considered a planet.
It’s not all bad news though. School children can rejoice over having one less planet to remember on their science quiz.
The Wikipedia entry for pluto has already been updated with the change.
More coverage can be found in the Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle and on MetaFilter.
Lastly, here is Pluto’s concession speech.
I’m finding myself offended. I knew this was coming, but I’m offended. And worse, I’m feeling a couple of the feelings I felt on 9/11. Like “hey, that is a part of my childhood, you can’t take that away.” Why am I feeling the same things about Pluto that I felt about the World Trade Center? I think I should go lie down.
That’s an interesting perspective. I hadn’t really thought of it that way. Some of the folks on MetaFilter were saying it doesn’t really matter what they say. They’re just a bunch of self-proclaimed experts who are dictating what they want. You can still consider Pluto to be a planet, regardless of their declaration.