THE ADVENTURES OF PERIWINKLE & STINKY: PART CCLXXVI

Periwinkle’s Arrival

Stinky has an adventure planned that he is not sure he and Periwinkle can pull off, but he’s willing to try if she is. It is daring and probably dangerous, but definitely would give them bragging rights if they are successful. As Stinky paces by the teleportation tunnel, he sees it begin to vibrate. Then with the familiar whoosh, Periwinkle comes tumbling out into his waiting paws. After several minutes of whisker kissing and paw hugging, Periwinkle asks the inevitable question. “So what’s on the agenda for today, Stinky?”

A Disagreement on Destination

“If you are willing, we are going to visit a place not previously visited by any man or cat,” replies Stinky.

Periwinkle gives him a quizzical look and asks, “Is that even possible?”

“Honestly, I am not really certain! It all depends on the range of our teleportation tunnel. The place is pretty far away.”

“So, how far are you talking about?”

Stinky replies, “From 2.66 billion to 4.67 billion miles depending on where it and the Earth are in relationship to their orbits around the sun.”

“Orbits? Where the heck do you want to go and how long will it take?” asks Periwinkle.

Stinky ignores the first part of Periwinkle’s question in his answer and replies, “Well, in 2006, it took NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft nine years and five months.”

“Now, I know you are crazy. Do you have any idea how many seizures you could have in that amount of time, and we would be stuck with no help.”

“That’s just it, we would be using our teleportation tunnel, and I am certain it wouldn’t take that long.”

“And what if our tunnel breaks down … what then?” asks Periwinkle.

“It’s never broken down before,” Stinky replies.

“We have never tried to travel billions of miles in it. I still have no idea where it is you want to go, but no, nyet, nein, nada … ain’t going to happen … no way, no how. What gave you such a hare-brained idea?” Periwinkle asks.

“Well, if we went to Pluto, we could spend much more time together. An hour on Pluto is equal to 6.4 days here on Earth, in other words 153.3 hours long. Its year is equivalent to 248 years on Earth.”

“Pluto, as in the planet Pluto … you’re joking, right? Read my lips, NO. I am not going to Pluto. I like our time together here just fine, and we wouldn’t be together any longer, it would just seem longer.”

National Pluto Day

Stinky’s expression displays his total disappointment in Periwinkle’s reaction before he explains. “Today is National Pluto Day. Pluto was discovered on February 18, 1930, at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, by American astronomer Clyde M. Tombaugh.”

“Well then, we should go to Arizona,” Periwinkle reasons.

“We could, but we missed the festival to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the discovery. It ended yesterday.”

“So, why didn’t we go when the festival was happening?”

“Because I didn’t know there was a festival!” Stinky shouts.

“Okay, chill out. So, we aren’t going to Pluto or Arizona. I am certain we can do something to celebrate. I would be happy to learn about Pluto and share that information with our readers.”

“Boring,” Stinky yells with a pout on his face.

“You need to calm down before you pop a blood vessel,” Periwinkle admonishes Stinky.

“I’m sorry, but I just wanted to do something that’s never been done before.”

“Suck it up. Buttercup. Let’s hit the internet and ask Mr. Google what he can tell us about Pluto, and we will make our own celebration.” replies Periwinkle.

Stinky continues to pout but fetches his mom’s iPad and sets it up on the kitchen counter.

 

 

Facts About Pluto

“And by the way, Periwinkle, you do know that Pluto was demoted and is no longer a planet?”

“Yes, I do! Mr. Google says that happened in 2006 when the International Astronomical Union downgraded it to a dwarf planet. They have three criteria that need to be met to get status as a planet: Pluto only met the first two: 1) It is in orbit around the Sun and 2) It has sufficient mass to assume a balance between pressure and gravity to maintain a nearly round shape,” replies Periwinkle.

“Do you understand the criterion it didn’t meet?” Stinky asks Periwinkle.

“Nope, but the following is basically what the Library of Congress says about it.”

The planet must be gravitationally dominant (which it is not), meaning there are no other bodies of a comparable size other than its own satellites (moons) or those otherwise under its gravitational influence, in its vicinity in space. Pluto is in the Kuiper Belt along with other icy bodies. Three of those are Eris, Haumea and Makemake.

“Wow, that last certainly has a funny name. What about moons, Stinky?”

“Pluto has five. They are Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra.”

“Stinky, this is really interesting. Pluto was named by an 11-year-old British school girl, Venetia Burney. She named it after the mythological god of the underworld. The Lowell Observatory received more than 1,000 suggestions for names, and Venetia’s was selected. And she got five pounds as a reward.”

“That is very cool,” remarks Stinky.

“And so is Pluto,“ Periwinkle tells him. “In fact, it is too cold to sustain life with an average temperature of -387°F (-232°C). See, going there was never an option!”

“Yikes … that is cold! I guess it is not surprising as its surface is dominated by nitrogen ice with traces of methane and carbon monoxide. Pluto has a heart-shaped region called Tombaugh Regio, with icy glaciers, polygonal block-like features and two mountains that may be ice volcanoes.”

“Stinky, I can see that heart in these photos of Pluto. I think it should have had a better name, as it has that heart and was discovered just four days after Valentine’s Day. It could have been Eros or Cupid or even heart or Valentine.”

Stinky makes no comment with reference to the names Periwinkle suggests, but says, “Periwinkle, my mom would like this: Pluto has about one-fifteenth the gravity of Earth. A person who weighs 100 pounds on Earth would weigh about 7 pounds on Pluto. That means I would only weigh 7/100ths of a pound!”

Periwinkle adds one last interesting fact about Pluto, “Pluto’s orbit around the sun is also different from the other planets. It forms an ellipse when most planets orbit the sun in a near-circle with the sun in the center.

Something Special for Pluto

“Stinky, I think we should do something nice for Pluto.”

“Do you have something in mind?”

Periwinkle replies, “Yes, I think I do. It will require a bit of work but I think we can do it if your dad will help us.” Periwinkle tells Stinky her plan, and he agrees it is a good idea.” Stinky runs off to find his dad.

After a couple of hours work, Periwinkle and Stinky are ready to reveal their creation.

 

 

Once their sign is erected, Dad Tom takes a photo of the tabbies for their scrapbook before they return to the house.

Snack Time

Though Stinky is still unhappy he and Periwinkle were not able to visit Pluto, he does tell Periwinkle that he enjoyed learning about the dwarf planet.

After removing their winter clothes, Periwinkle and Stinky head to the kitchen for a snack. When finished, Periwinkle visits with Stinky’s fursibs.

The time arrives for Periwinkle to head home. She and Stinky spend several minutes whisker kissing and paw hugging. And, Stinky apologizes to Periwinkle for being so stubborn. Of course, she forgives him. With a final blown kiss, Periwinkle enters the teleportation tunnel and is gone in a whoosh.

Stinky heads to the bedroom to nap and dream of Periwinkle and Pluto!

The End

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