While we're waiting for more images from Ceres (Dawn probe) and the Pluto system (New Horizons probe), there are a couple of articles that are of relevance and interest:

The Complete History Of Ceres, The Planet (?) Between Mars And Jupiter

Why Pluto Matters: A Short History of a Small (Non-)Planet

I've mentioned it before, but the Slooh telescope site is also worth checking out including recent archive events: http://live.slooh.com

Ceres Bright Spot has a companion
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4491

Thanks for posting that link, Eddie Badger. Vesta turned out to be a very interesting worldlet with a history of huge impacts and collisions and now it appears that Ceres is also turning out to be an interesting planetary destination.

Some exciting times ahead as we approach Ceres. And I'm sure Pluto and its moons will provide a few surprises too.

It's clearer if you rotate 90 degrees. The small one is the interstellar sign for 'filling station' and the large one's the landing pad.

I, for one, welcome our new Ceredian overlords.

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic....end-this-week/

Dawn arrives at Ceres tomorrow. Naturally, the news media don't give a shit. But the pictures are already dazzling, and hopefully this will trigger a movement to upgrade the dwarf planets to full planet status, forcing a change to the absurd IAU definition of 2006.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet)

So you think a big lump of rock 1/3rd the diameter of the Moon should be a planet? It's not going to happen.

You right about the images though, they are amazing.

All four terrestrial planets are mainly big lumps of rock. Mercury is smaller than Ganymede and Titan. Neither their composition nor size should be disqualifying criteria for planet status. Same applies to Ceres and the other dwarf planets.

Dawn is now in orbit around Ceres
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31754586

Amazing accomplishment.

What a year this is going to be for our knowledge of the Solar system - and the dwarf planets in particular.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/...arrival-ceres/

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/...-dwarf-planet/

http://www.space.com/28754-nasa-dawn...t-arrival.html

Humanity at it's most inspiring - next comes little old Pluto!

To be fair, the BBC's Pallab Ghosh did an excellent piece on the BBC News channel plus there's this online article here too: Nasa's Dawn probe achieves orbit around Ceres

Also, take a look here and here.

Regarding the IAU decision, I think they're broadly right but l'd personally simplify it a bit so that you've got Mercury, Venus, Earth/Moon, Mars, Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Ice Asteroids (Cryo-oids), Comets.

...and in other news:

Spring Equinox Supermoon solar eclipse: Rare celestial phenomenon will make March 20 even more special
But as if this were not impressive enough, the evening before the phenomenon the Earth and Moon will be as close together as they possibly can be, giving rise to a so-called Supermoon.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technol...286245#rlabs=6
http://earthsky.org/tonight/in-2015-...-on-january-20

Mars lost an ocean’s worth of water
A primitive ocean on Mars once held more water than Earth’s Arctic Ocean, according to NASA scientists who measured signatures of water in the planet’s atmosphere using the most powerful telescopes on Earth including the W. M. Keck Observatory on Hawaii. The results are published in the journal Science on March 6th, 2015.
http://astronomynow.com/2015/03/06/m...orth-of-water/

NASA eyes ion engines for Mars orbiter launching in 2022
NASA officials want the agency's next Mars orbiter to pull double duty as a communications relay station for a fleet of surface landers and as a trailblazer for a future round-trip sample return mission and human expeditions to the red planet.
http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/03/03...ching-in-2022/

The late Don Parker vs. Hubble Space Telescope
On August 27, 2003 Mars was closer to Earth than at any time in human history. Author Andrew Chaikin asked Universe Today to tell the story of how he was fortunate enough to enjoy the event with Don Parker, a “superb planetary photographer and wonderful guy,” Chaikin wrote.
http://www.universetoday.com/119260/...sest-to-earth/

Fastest Star in Our Galaxy Propelled by a Thermonuclear Supernova
A team of astronomers, including University of Hawaii at Manoa astronomer Eugene Magnier, used the 10-meter Keck II and Pan-STARRS1 telescopes in Hawaii to find a star that breaks the galactic speed record. It travels at about 1,200 kilometers per second (about 2.7 million mph), a speed that will enable the star to escape from our Milky Way galaxy.
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Fa...rnova_999.html

But does it really matter what they are classified as? Surely the fact that tens of thousands of these rocks all have their own names is recognition enough.

The quest for scientific knowledge for it's own sake is one of the most noble activities we humans can aspire to.

Just looking at the surface of another world is good enough for me.

And any discovery no matter how insignificant could become hugely important in the future - who knows?

I guess the moral of US 708 is never feed your dwarf companion a load of helium

Call me a fan of the old school of naming new finds, none of this EFX7254-006N B stuff, which while I understand why., does not lend itself to very thrilling dinner party conversations.

It's stretching the definition a bit to say Dawn is already in orbit around Ceres, even if it has been gravitationally captured. It will be moving under power for about another 6 weeks.

http://www.universetoday.com/119284/...ival-at-ceres/

I quite like meaningful nomenclature. The designation you quoted immediately had me thinking of a pentode with a 6.3V heater.

Here's a good one.

Horizon tonight discussion planetary interactions Jupiter is the boss apparently. It won't be long now before velikovsky is accorded his rightful place. You know it makes sense.

Returns next week, Wednesday to Friday evenings on BBC2, plus a Live 1 Hour Special from The Faroe Islands on the Friday Morning at 9am with Live Coverage of The Total Solar Eclipse that sweeps across parts of Northern Europe.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b019...casts/upcoming

...in the asylum!

The surfaces of the Moon, Mercury and other bodies in this solar system are a testament to the massive bombardments that occurred very early on in this solar system's history. The actual science is fascinating enough in itself without the need to resort to baseless fiction:

http://www.nature.com/ngeo/focus/hea...ent/index.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/earth/e...vy_bombardment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Heavy_Bombardment

To watch:

BBC Horizon - Secrets of the Solar System on iPlayer.

BBC Horizon - Aftershock: The Hunt for Gravitational Waves - 9pm tonight on BBC2.

Got that recorded for later - I really love a good Horizon astronomy documentary and last weeks was very interesting - I wonder how far the hypothetical Planet X has now travelled in the four billion years since Jupiter ejected it from the Solar System?

As for Velikovsky, I wish his bloody name would not keep cropping up in a serious scientific thread.

See a very big booster test. See NASA's Big Day Today: Watch a Mega-Rocket Booster Test, Astronaut Landing Live