Finding the 10th planet

Quaoar! What a discovery. Isn’t it amazing that in 2002 we can find another planet? If you’re anything like some of the people I interviewed this week, then you’re probably aware that something was discovered, and you may even know it was given that name ‘Qblhgrphgzzk’ (at least you’re trying), but there’s some fuzziness as to whether it was a planet or some kind of space object, or something? Right?

Hey you’re not alone. My local newspaper carried the story for an hour or so, the local TV news had some stuff to say, but there’s been no real clarity as to what’s really gone down, or if it’s of any significance or not. Not even the search engines are carrying anything. Google brought back a paltry 9 suggestions of which only 7 were relevant. I went to Fast (alltheweb.com – bigger than Google) and got only 28 suggestions.

My feeling is that it’s probably not going to physically change our lives. Whatever they found dates back to the beginning of our solar system, so if it was going to do anything to us, good or bad, surely it would have done it by now? It’s also a zillion kilometers from us, so if whoever lives on it on it had lasers or missiles, they probably can’t reach us. There’s also the debate as to whether it’s an object or a planet. At 1300km in diameter it’s sounds fairly large to me. Certainly I’d spend a bit more time finding a description for it. Can you imagine what something that big could do to you? My opinion is that we ask it, and then call it whatever it wants to be called. No sense irritating anything that size. “You want to be a planet, that’s OK with us.”

I’d like to offer up a thought or two as to why there’s so little being said, why theres no hype, and why you haven’t taken much of an interest…

Perhaps it’s because we aren’t comfortable with a solar system that has a new planet. Most of us (post 1930 – that’s when we found Pluto) grew up with 9 planets. And quite frankly a 10th planet makes us a little uncomfortable. We have a rhyme or an acronym to remember what we have, and it doesn’t accommodate 10.

Perhaps we don’t want to encourage any of this sort of exploration. What if they find an 11th and 12th, and gasp, what if there really is life out there after all? No thank you. We like being the only ones out there. We like being the supreme beings. And anyway, we all know, that if you can’t see it, then it doesn’t exist. So the message we’re sending to those fools who are looking is… “stop!”

Perhaps I’m making more of it than is really there? But it’s worth considering for a few nana-seconds. Let me ask you this‌

What of the 10th planet in your business? The ‘object’ that’s out there. That’s always been there. The one you just haven’t seen yet. The ‘1300km diameter object’ that might bring harm or success. Who’s looking for it in your business? Who’s been given the task of searching the skies for those things you’ve never seen before, but that you want to be the first to see?

And what if it’s found? Is there space in your business paradigm (the rhyme or acronym) to fit it in? Or will you simply make little of the discovery hoping it will go away. Remember, “if you can’t see it, then it doesn’t exist”

History is full of 10th Planet discoveries. Unfortunately for every ‘find’ there are dozens of stories of companies that have failed to acknowledge their discovery, and who today are extinct.

I say we get out there and have a ‘Quaoar party’. Invite your friends and colleagues. Let’s have one very large celebration and welcome this big chunk of rock into our world view. Let’s also resolve to go into tomorrow looking for planet number 11.

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