Einstein #8: Truth and Beauty
The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives. – Albert Einstein Today, March 13, is Percival Lowell’s birthday In 1905, he started looking for a planet beyond Neptune. Lowell spent the next eleven years in lengthy mathematical and sky searches for the elusive “trans-Neptunian” planet. Fourteen years after he died, Pluto was found. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union redefined planets and stripped Pluto of that title. Interestingly, by the IAU’s criteria, Earth could also be demoted. According to that organization, a planet must: Orbit a star Have enough mass to achieve hydrostatic equilibrium [big enough to become a sphere, or round] and Clear debris from its path.. Though Earth’s highway through the sky is messy, we escape the title “dwarf planet” because of a better vacuuming system during babyhood than Pluto’s [a/k/a accretion]. Read more. For more reasons than avoiding the name ‘puny,’ obstacle-removal is important for all journeys. This week offers great opportunities to take Einstein’s advice atop this post. In addition to Percy Lowell’s birthday, March 13 is also Good Samaritan Day. The 17th celebrates St. Patrick, a man praised for sweeping the snakes from Ireland. The 19th calls all gigglers, cacklers, chortlers and belly laughers to celebrate “National Let’s Laugh Day,” Enjoy!