Prague IAU Vote 2006
- There has been a claim that attendees of IAU 236 polluted the IAU vote.
- Because they are the evil dynamists.
- I agree that attendees of IAU 236 colored the debates during the first week,
but I do not this they effected the votes.
- Let's look at some numbers.
- IAU 236: Earth Objects, Our Celestial Neighbors: Opportunity and Risk
- There were 55 talks
- Dynamics: 16
- Physical Properties: 7
- Observations (non-dynamics): 24
- Missions: 6
- Policy: 2
- This seems like a fair balance to me.
- Ended the week before the vote.
- Of the people that I know, ~75% did not stay for the next week.
- The vote:......... 411 people voted.
- Resolution 5A: "Definition of Planet" was not counted but was passed with a great majority.
- Resolution 5B: "Definition of Classical Planet" had 91 votes in favour, but many more against so there was no count.
- Resolution 6A: "Definition of Pluto-class objects" was passed with 237 votes in favour, 157 against and 17 abstentions.
- Resolution 6B: "Definition of Plutonian Objects" had 183 votes in favour and 186 votes against.
- So, in conclusion:
- IAU 236 was not dominated by one type of astronomer.
- It was too small and too few people stayed to effect the final vote.
- The IAU vote represented a unbiased representation of the astronomical community.
- Much better than if the IAU would have announced it intentions.
