Thursday, August 04, 2005

The Newly Discovered Planet-Minerva

So now NASA has finally discovered the mysterious and elusive "Planet X", the long awaited tenth planet of our solar system, wich has long been postulated as the true explanation for the perturbances in the orbit of the planet Neptune that lead to the discovery of the planet Pluto. It was insisted that Pluto was much too small to have this effect. There had to be another explanation.

Well, the new planet is one and a half time the size of Puto-and twice the distance from the sun. For some perspective, it takes Pluto 248 years to revolve around the sun. Planet X takes a whopping 546 years to accompish the same feat. To bring this even further into perspective, when Pluto was discovered in 1930, the last time it had been at that point in the Zodiac where it was in that year, was in 1692. The last time Panet X was at the point in the Zodiac that it now is? 1441. Yeah, well before Coumbus discovered America. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, before Columbus himself was actually born.

But the really odd thing abut the cold, barren, apparently methane composed world, is it revolves around the sun at a higher level than all the other planets. Why? Who knows? A result, possibly, of the suns weakened gravitational pull at that distance. Or possibly due to some as yet unknown aspect of the new planets composition.

Soon, the new planet will need a name, a real name, and in keeping with tradition, I would to propose the name Minerva, the Roman version of Athene. After al, Minerva, as the virgin Goddess of Wisdom and War, had a reputation, unfairly or not, for being cold and distant. Plus, that aspect of divine wisdom which she embodied would, in the opinion of some, tend to place her on a higher level in comparson with your tyical Graeco-Roman deity. Like our mysterious planet itself. Cold and distant, it hovers on a higher level than the other planets. So there you have it.

Makes sense to me.

4 comments:

David Amulet said...

Minerva is about the best name I have heard for our newly discovered neighbor! It is certainly more charming than "Rock" or "Stone." Check out my thoughts on the tenth planet's name here, and my other posts at DavidAmulet.blogspot.com. Keep up the great writing; your style is fun to read. -- d.a.

SecondComingOfBast said...

Thanks for the compliment, DavidAmulet, coming from you that is high praise.

Anonymous said...

I am a patron of Minerva, but she was not know for being cold and distant. That was the other virgin goddess: Artimis/Diana.

SecondComingOfBast said...

Azoil-

Interesting that you call yourself a patron of Minerva, instead of the other way around (not that there's anything wrong with that). I guess it depends on how you relate to her. This was some time ago, and my own relation to her has evolved considerably since then.

Just the day before yesterday, I found myself praying to her in a totally unplanned, spur of the moment manner, and felt an immediate connection to her, which would not be typical for anything that is cold and distant.

I think probably many would view her that way though, due to the virginal aspects, and the whole logic, reason, wisdom etc. attributes. The fact she is a war goddess probably adds to that conception as well.

Thanks for commenting.