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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Gutierrez
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
3/01/07
HB HJM 54
SHORT TITLE “Pluto Planet Day"
SB
ANALYST Wilson
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY07
FY08
NFI
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Joint Memorial 54 resolves that as Pluto passes overhead through New Mexico's excellent
night skies, it will be declared a planet and that March 13, 2007 will be declared "Pluto Planet
Day" at the legislature.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
NFI
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The state of New Mexico is a global center for astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science.
New Mexico is home to world class astronomical observing facilities, such as the Apache Point
observatory, the very large array, the Magdalena Ridge observatory and the national solar
observatory.
Apache Point observatory, operated by New Mexico state university, houses the astrophysical
research consortium's three-and-one-half meter telescope, as well as the unique 2.5 meter
diameter Sloan digital sky survey telescope.
pg_0002
House Joint Memorial 54 – Page
2
New Mexico state university has the state's only independent, doctorate-granting astronomy
department.
New Mexico state university and Dona Ana county were the longtime home of Clyde
Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto.
Pluto has been recognized as a planet for 75 years.
Pluto's average orbit is 3,695,950,000 miles from the sun and its diameter is approximately 1,421
miles from the sun.
Pluto has three moons known as Charon, Nix and Hydra.
A spacecraft called new horizons was launched in January 2006 to explore Pluto in the year
2015.
DW/mt