Author Michael A. Burstein, wearing another of his many hats—this one is president of the Society for the Preservation of Pluto as a Planet (SP3)—was quoted in a National Geographic article on the demotion of Pluto from king of the minor planets to not even the largest of the minor planets. Burstein is quoted extensively in the article, which discusses the newest finding, that Eris (formerly known as 2003 UB313, and temporarily nicknamed Xena) is actually the largest of the so-called dwarf planets, beating Pluto by about 25%.
Burstein founded the SP3 early last year, when Pluto’s status as a planet was threatened by discsussions of the International Astronomical Union. Burstein’s efforts were not enough to maintain its status, and Pluto was demoted. He now favors opening the definition of “planet” a little more, which might let in as many as 50 or 100 bodies circling the Sun. Then Pluto might be maintained as one of the nine “classical planets.”