Listened for the first time last night to a planetary scientist side of debate about Pluto demotion, having already read years ago an astronomer’s side in Brown’s memoir mentioned at the outset of the keynote. While curious from an astrology point of view—which didn’t demote Pluto but has its own debate about Pluto versus Mars rulership of Scorpio—this talk, presumably scheduled long ago, ended up only several hours following the historical rebuke but acquittal yesterday in U.S. Senate.
Several times during the talk, Alan Stern, PI of New Horizons, showed a photo from the August 24, 2006 IAU meeting in Prague in which a filled auditorium voted about planetary definition (described here as Closing Ceremony). He belabored this is not the way of science.
Hearing from a non-science point of view his stand-out points:
Science does not vote.
Science does not need an authority to decide.
Science is organic and happens one scientist at a time contributing to the body of data.
And the vote—conducted by non-planetary scientists—implied science is political and arbitrary.
Meanwhile, the nation reacts in shock but not surprise to the 57/43 (2/3 needed for majority) acquittal of former president for high crimes and misdemeanors as Pluto transits closer to the nation’s founding Pluto Return.
Saturday, February 13, 2021, Washington, D.C., 15:39 EST:
Sun 25° 22′ conjunct USA Pallas 26° 32′ Rx, USA Moon 27° 10′ Aquarius
Sun semi-sextile Pluto 25° 37′ and USA Pluto 27° 33′ Rx Capricorn
Moon 19° 57′ separating conjunct Neptune 19° 42′ Pisces
Mars 19° 35′ conjunct USA Vesta 19° 46′ Taurus
Mars sextile Neptune [applying exact 21:13]
Midheaven [midpoint] 18° 14′ Aries
Lot of Fortune 26° 04′ Leo opposite Sun
Leo 1° 29′ rising
Transit exact, Sunday, February 20, 2022, Washington, D.C., 14:21 EST:
Pluto 27° 33′ 08″ conjunct USA Pluto 27° 33′ 08″ Rx Capricorn
Image: Tombaugh Regio via Wikimedia