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Frank,

        I continue to be surprised by the passion that the status of Pluto arouses even amongst otherwise rational individuals. I attended a talk by Alan Stern, the principal investigator on the New Horizons mission, at the North East Astronomy Forum (NEAF) last year. When asked about Pluto’s reclassification he became very serious and said that he considered in an insult to the memory of Clyde Tombaugh (discoverer of Pluto) or words to that effect.

       Pluto’s “demotion” places it in with the Kuyper belt objects where it clearly belongs. That then makes Tombaugh the discoverer of the Kuyper belt which seems to me is a much loftier and far reaching accolade and can’t see why Stern would want to deny him that honour,

Regards,

Robin