New Planets Might Include Orcus
At some level, I'm amused that the solar system can be re-arranged by words. The BBC report that the International Astronomical Union have proposed a new system of classification for planets, changing the designation of Pluto to a "pluton" rather than a classical planet, and adding Charon, UB313 and Ceres in the same category.
There's a watchlist of other objects that could then be added as plutons, one of which is called Orcus. This alos amuses me greatly, as Orcus is familiar to D&D players as a demon prince of undead, and the Wand of Orcus is one of the better known artifacts from the Greyhawk setting. Orcus was originally a Roman (possibly Etruscan) god of the Underworld, responsible for punishing those who broke oaths, but he got Gygax'd.
Posted by Drew Shiel at August 16, 2006 7:49 AM
