Letters to the Editor
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The deal with Pluto (and Ceres and Eris)
For those of you confused about Pluto's status, I just looked it up: it's now considered a dwarf planet, along with Ceres and Eris.
So the nine planets that we (at least those of you roughly my age... 30) were taught are no more. There are either eight or eleven depending on whether or not you count the dwarves.
As for the "pizza" menmonic, I think it was submitted because it mirrors the one a lot of people my age were taught: "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas". There are variations ("e" is often "excellent", "s" is sometimes "stole", etc.), but most people my age seem to know that mnemonic. I agree that Maryn's is much better.