Pluto, 1930 - 2006. Kinda.

Pluto, we hardly knew ye!

The little wannabe astrono-nerd in me couldn't help but blink and choke up a little when I read this this afternoon. (Well, maybe just clear my throat a bit.)

Talk about undoing some 20 years of learning and memorization!

But, for real. Despite the runty, ice-cold exterior and wobbly, weird orbit, you must've known it was only a matter of time before us big eggheads punted you over to the dwarf planet table.

Imagine - if you didn't have all those other particles floatin' around, you might've had, what, another five, 10 years or so?

Kinda sucks for your discoverer's widow, too.

It was a good run, though. Have fun with the other dwarf planets. And remember - in this big interplanetary space park, you're the big dog now. Play nice! Hugs.