I grew up knowing that Pluto didn’t “fit” the pattern, thanks to my youthful obsession with outer space. I think the trouble arises when the only thing childre

I grew up knowing that Pluto didn’t “fit” the pattern, thanks to my youthful obsession with outer space. I think the trouble arises when the only thing children really remember about planets is “My Very Eager Mother …” or whatever mnemonic regular kids use to learn the order. If you actually knew anything about Pluto, you’d know about its irregular, overly elliptical off-plane orbit; its large moon, almost a binary planet; its pathetic size; its pattern-breaking proximity to the sun; and the fact it was an outer planet that wasn’t a gas giant. So scientists breaking your mnemonic are stealing the only thing you ever knew about the planets.