Neil deGrasse Tyson denies he's a 'Pluto hater' on Twitter
Scientists combat celebrity astrophysicist's snark with mind-blowing #PlutoFacts after historic NASA fly by
Pluto may be freezing cold, but the most-buzzworthy dwarf planet in our solar system is red-hot right now in terms of space news.
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is thought to have finally reached the icy planetary body for the first time this morning during a historic fly by nearly 10 years in the making.
Scientists must wait until around 9 p.m. ET Tuesday for the probe's signal to hit Earth and confirm the mission's success, but new images released in the days leading up to NASA's fly by have already sparked some intense online discussions about Pluto's planetary status.
Can we make Pluto a planet again? I mean look at it- it has a heart. We don ’t want to break it again! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlutoFlyby?src=hash">#PlutoFlyby</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/askNASA?src=hash">#askNASA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NASANewHorizons">@NASANewHorizons</a>
—@thebrandon907You guys all know that Pluto doesn’t have to be a planet to be awesome, right?
—@Annaleen<a href="https://twitter.com/NASA">@NASA</a> How about we call Pluto a planet again, thumbing our noses to the IAU, and really put a bang into this day? 😍
—@WilliamShatnerPluto was famously downgraded from a planet to a dwarf planet in 2006, though, as the Associated Press reports, NASA officials hope their new observations will help "restore Pluto's honour."
Celebrity astrophysicist and all-around internet icon Neil deGrasse Tyson is often associated with Pluto's original fall from grace, and has spoken at length about why he feels it shouldn't be classified as a full planet.
While Tyson has stated that the decision wasn't his alone, apparent fans of Pluto have sent him enough hate mail since 2006 to fill an entire book.
Many have also taken to calling him the "Pluto killer" or "Pluto hater."
<a href="https://twitter.com/NASA">@NASA</a> what does <a href="https://twitter.com/neiltyson">@neiltyson</a> have to say about that? PLUTO KILLER!!!!
—@LucyAppa"Pluto killer visits campus" - <a href="https://twitter.com/purdueexponent">@PurdueExponent</a> on lecture by <a href="https://twitter.com/neiltyson">@neiltyson</a>. He said he just drove the getaway car... <a href="http://t.co/iQuu642HXN">pic.twitter.com/iQuu642HXN</a>
—@ljvillanueva<a href="https://twitter.com/neiltyson">@neiltyson</a> Showing off your PHD again (Pluto Hater's Degree). LOL
—@alan2308aAs Pluto rose to the forefront of the news agenda this month, Tyson took to Twitter (among other outlets) to set the record straight on his thoughts about the planetary body.
The series of Twitter rants appear to have started on July 8, after Tyson tweeted a link to a New Horizons fly by timeline and subsequently received a torrent of replies accusing him, once again, of killing Pluto.
Just a few minutes after tweeting the timeline, Tyson published the following image of himself with Disney's cartoon dog Pluto and the caption, "Just an FYI: Pluto and I buried the hatchet a long time ago. And we've been pals ever since."
Just an FYI: Pluto and I buried the hatchet a long time ago. And we’ve been pals ever since. <a href="http://t.co/zPQNymxVUV">pic.twitter.com/zPQNymxVUV</a>
—@neiltysonA second photo of Tyson with Pluto followed.
I once showed Pluto to Pluto. He looked delighted. Or maybe that’s his reaction to everything. <a href="http://t.co/mhLZ5t7LoN">pic.twitter.com/mhLZ5t7LoN</a>
—@neiltysonOn Sunday, the astrophysicist started tweeting about the dwarf planet again, writing "What the Twitterverse needs right now is even more Pluto. Give me some space..."
He then launched into a series of tweets that included the hashtag #PlutoFacts, sharing dozens of pieces of information that appeared to lend credence to his own assertion that Pluto isn't a planet like the other eight in our solar system.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlutoFacts?src=hash">#PlutoFacts</a>: Earth’s Moon is five times more massive than Pluto. Get over it.
—@neiltyson<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlutoFacts?src=hash">#PlutoFacts</a>: The only objects in the Solar System whose orbits cross those of planets are asteroids, comets, & Pluto.
—@neiltyson<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlutoFacts?src=hash">#PlutoFacts</a>: Pluto would fit comfortably between New York & Dallas. Between Rome & Moscow. Between Perth & Melbourne.
—@neiltysonThe later part of the tweet stream focuses on facts about Disney's Pluto the dog, as well as on Tyson's own association with the planet.
"#PlutoFacts: Was an accessory in the 'demotion' of Pluto. But I didn't pull the trigger," he wrote. "#PlutoFacts: I wrote 'The Pluto Files' book in recovery after years of hate-mail from school children."
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlutoFacts?src=hash">#PlutoFacts</a>: Was an accessory in the “demotion" of Pluto. But I didn’t pull the trigger. That was self-confessed <a href="https://twitter.com/plutokiller">@PlutoKiller</a>
—@neiltysonWhile the #PlutoFacts hashtag was in existence before Tyson using it, it didn't explode on Twitter until he popularised it Sunday. As of Tuesday afternoon, it had accumulated more than 20,000 posts.
Some have used #PlutoFacts to criticize (and praise) Tyson's own criticism, but many more are using it to share actual facts (and jokes) about the dwarf planet.
Whether intentionally or not, scientists are making their own case for why the option of reinstating Pluto as a planet shouldn't necessarily be overlooked (and also why no human would ever want to visit.)
Pluto has more moons than anything interior of Jupiter. Get over it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlutoFacts?src=hash">#PlutoFacts</a> <a href="https://t.co/OnhJP7WpT3">https://t.co/OnhJP7WpT3</a>
—@AscendingNode<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlutoFacts?src=hash">#PlutoFacts</a>. There are ~150 planet-sized bodies in the Kuiper Belt, but they are less crowded than the 5 in the inner solar system.
—@DrPhiltillThe Size Of Pluto’s Atmosphere Compared To Earth <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlutoFlyby?src=hash">#PlutoFlyby</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlutoFacts?src=hash">#PlutoFacts</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewHorizons?src=hash">#NewHorizons</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pluto?src=hash">#Pluto</a> <a href="http://t.co/RtYwLDOCYQ">pic.twitter.com/RtYwLDOCYQ</a>
—@skysafariastroIf you were standing on Pluto, you would weigh about 6% of your weight on Earth. You would also be very cold and suffocating. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlutoFacts?src=hash">#PlutoFacts</a>
—@AstroKatie<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlutoFacts?src=hash">#PlutoFacts</a> heat advisory today for Birmingham, highs around 98 all week. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pluto?src=hash">#Pluto</a> only reachs -369 on its hot summer days! <a href="https://twitter.com/spann">@spann</a>
—@Planetarium_SURegardless of what happens with Pluto's status in the future, Tyson appears unfazed by the digital jeers. His most recent tweet indicates that he, like many others, is simply more impressed by NASA's achievement than anything else.
Were it not for <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA">@NASA</a> & kindred programs of discovery, I wonder what hope would remain for our species to rise above itself.
—@neiltyson