Pluto demoted to 'quasi-planet' status

I'm confused myself now. If the IAU calls it a dwarf planet why are the Japanese scientists suggesting calling it a quasi planet? As for the schools, just tell the children it's a small planet and could also be considered to be a large asteroid.

They didn't teach us about quarks in high school, although they did mention muons as an example of relativistic effects.

 

Now that would be confusing, because the Japanese for asteroid (小惑星) translates literally as 'small planet'. So if you tell the kids in Japanese that Pluto is a small planet, you're telling them it's an asteroid. And a large asteroid would be a large small planet. （大きな小惑星）
What's wrong with 準惑星?
And who do these boffins at the Science Council think they are, deciding what the general public can and cannot understand?

 

Is this just a Kyodo translation error? Looks like someone just "chokuyaku"ed 準惑星 without considering the context.

Asahi says Pluto has been demoted to "dwarf planet" status, but since there was no term for "dwarf planet" in Japanese, they decided upon the term 準惑星. Since the term was specifically chosen to represent a Japanese equivalent for the English "dwarf planet", that is the translation that should be used.

http://www.asahi.com/science/news/TKY200703210203.html

昨夏、国際天文学連合（ＩＡＵ）の決定で惑星から除外された冥王星は、「準惑星」と分類されることになった。ＩＡＵが作った新分類「ドワーフプラネット（ｄｗａｒｆ　ｐｌａｎｅｔ）」の和名を検討してきた日本学術会議小委員会が２１日、準惑星とする報告書をまとめた。

 

chibi. It's a chibi-planet.

 

Is a dwarf-human not a human? I'm confused. Damned them scientists for confusing me the public.

 

Kawaisona Plutochan!! Listen ye it's plaintive cry "I'm a planet not an okiishouwakusei". The Yubari of the solar system deserves better than this.

 

In Japan they are called quasi-humans.

 

You're semi-planet. You're quasi-planet. You're the margarine of planets. You're the Diet Coke of planets, just one calorie, not planet enough...

 

And what's the difference between those two again?

 

Just re-name the rock, Rodney Dangerfield, after all he never got any respect either.

 

The bells! The bells! Sancutary!

 

So by extension does this mean that Disney is going to demote Pluto to "quasi-character" status?
Just wondering.

 

Pluto is having a tough time right now. Pluto lost an election and now its status is Quasi-planet.

 

Let's be honest. Pluto always was a "quasi-character".

Peace

 

is really just too mickey mouse for us normal semi-people.
Let's just call it Newfoundrock.