Why is Salon interviewing an astrologer? If this is a joke, it's not 100% obvious to me.

Thank you. As an amateur astrologer (and there are hundreds of us on the New York music scene alone), I had been curious about the impact of this category dispute, and didn't know where to look. Leave it to my favorite news web site to get the lowdown.

- Kyle Gann

Ok, so some people are stupid enough to believe in Astrology. Fine. I'm not sure why that is an excuse to interview scam-artists like Astrologists whenever something interesting happens in Astronomy. Why is that? Is the assumption that the readers are to stupid to understand science, or do the reporters think science is boring?

You may not. I do not. But if enough people believe in Astrology they can make things happen as per what Astrology says will happen. It's called astrolositve thinking, where you end up making something happen as per your Astrological forecast. So while Astrlogy is humbug, the mind can make what it wants to believe happen. Such is life, with Astrology.

...the science of Astrology took a major leap forward today, as all people born under the sign "Taurus" were hit by a truck.

Pluto's orbital period is nearly 250 years. That means it takes 20 years to move from one constellation in the Zodiac to the next. It hasn't even made it a third of the way around the Sun since it was discovered in 1930. How on Earth, then, could the changing position of Pluto with respect to the constellations be of any use in astrology, when the position of Pluto for all intents and purposes doesn't change appreciably all year?

As a scientist, I'm well aware that astrology is baseless and silly, but I at least assumed that it might have internal mechanisms that were somewhat grounded in reality. I guess not.

Dave M.

Professor of Physics and Astronomy

dave m, an astronomer, asks:

[quote]Pluto's orbital period is nearly 250 years. That means it takes 20 years to move from one constellation in the Zodiac to the next. It hasn't even made it a third of the way around the Sun since it was discovered in 1930. How on Earth, then, could the changing position of Pluto with respect to the constellations be of any use in astrology, when the position of Pluto for all intents and purposes doesn't change appreciably all year?[/quote]

because other planets change in their relationship to pluto as *they* move around. because where we are on earth changes where pluto is in our charts. because even though it takes a long time for pluto to move through a sign, while it is in that sign, it is causing heavy impacts in that area of a person's chart. being slow doesn't diminish its effects at all.

quantum physics explains quite well how it is possible that astrology could work. it just requires a little thinking outside of the box.

This story reflects an unfortunate dearth of critical thought on the part of Salon's editors.

How can they take us on this voyage of discovery without also celebrating the astrological implications of the arrival of Ceres, Charon, and Xena on the celestial-body-classification scene? To just focus on Pluto's departure is not only unscientific, it's downright pessimistic.

Having just stroked several of my most potent crystals, I prophesy that these new minor bodies will favourably govern routine aspects of our existence:

"With Charon sitting in an auspicious position, on the fourth cusp of the Martian apogee, you will no doubt make it to the gym today for a change."

Mars is the only other planet we will ever visit. that's it, it's over. The gas giants are gas, though some of their moons are interesting. Venus and Mercury are too hot. And Pluto isn't even a planet. So we're done. That blows.

I've been told that, of those dreaded prerequisites for planet-hood, the key one for Pluto is that it doesn't sweep out its own orbit. So what makes Neptune all special and planety, since by definition it hasn't swept out its own orbit either?

and who really gives a flying f**k?

All "legit" news organizations who mentioned astrology and Pluto's impact should have the crap kicked out of them. No, it isn't a light, fluff piece. It is a waste of bandwidth on a psuedoscience so stupid that even other psuedoscientists make fun of it.

Enough already.

Classical, Medieval and Indian astrology use the visible planets(nothing further than Saturn). Some modern astrologers use asteroids, Kuiperoids, Centaurs, comets, the kitchen sink. Conservative practitioners have long recognized the dubious theoretical substance of Pluto given the lack of observation. One revolution or more is needed to get a handle on any body. Astrologers are a motley bunch, and as sectarian as any religion. Competent ones will be able to explain the theoretical and philosophical decisions that structure their practice and hold their tongue on matters that don't concern them -- much like any wise doctor will not diagnose outside their speciality. Sensible astrologers will note the name of their practice is rooted in stars like the sun(astr-), not wandering bodies(Greek - planetos).

Re: Romance & Finance -- Pluto has shown itself to be relevant in obsessive compulsive and violently passionate reltionships, as well as a factor in plutocratic wealth and it's devastation(see Martha Stewart). Pluto does not have a major hand in the current conditions. That's mostly Saturn and Neptune.

What's in a name? Pluto is still Pluto; we'll just call it a 'dwarf world' or a 'pluton' or a 'Trans-Neptunian Object' or some such. My vote: dwarf world, along with Ceres and Charon and our new friend, Xena. Actually, I think Xena had a much better claim to the planet label than Pluto ever did. (Alas, no doubt the astronomers will be too serious to accept the name 'Xena' for very long, and they'll find some boring name for it, but it'll always be Xena to me.)

As for the letter-writer mourning that Mars will be the only other planet we'll visit; calm down. We'll orbit Venus, land robots on the poles of Mercury, float balloons on the gas giants, and of course crawl all over the dwarf worlds, they're worlds, aren't they? And let's not forget Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Iapetus, and especially Titan. Sure they're moons, but they're big moons, and weirdly wild ones at that. Io has sulfur volcanos, Europa has an ocean, Iapetus has a huge black splotch and an equatorial ridge. And Titan has an atmosphere, rain, rivers, and lakes - of methane!

So don't worry; great fun awaits us. And the photos will all be beamed straight to our home computers.