Press Release

Britannica Revises Astronomy Articles Following Pluto Decision

CHICAGO, August 25, 2006

In response to yesterday’s decision by the International Astronomical Union to reclassify Pluto’s status in the solar system, Encyclopaedia Britannica has revised its most-affected entries and plans additional revisions in the weeks ahead.

As they normally do for major developments affecting the state of knowledge and scholarship, the encyclopedia’s editors quickly revised key articles and published the changes online.

“We’re doing this in two stages,” said Robert Curley, Britannica’s senior science editor. “Immediately after the announcement our astronomy editor did a limited revision of the articles on Pluto and the solar system to reflect the decision by the IAU, and those revised articles were posted to our Web site yesterday.

“At the same time, in anticipation of the decision, we’ve been in touch lately with several of our astronomy advisors—including Tobias Owen, Edward Tedesco, Clark Chapman, and Conel Alexander, some of whom were present at the IAU convention—with the aim of producing a more extensive revision in the weeks ahead.”

Curley said that the IAU move will have far-reaching implications for the way scientists see the solar system, and it will have to be explained clearly and accurately in the encyclopedia.

“This is not just about Pluto,” he said. “It’s an important change in the way we understand planets. We’re working with scholars who can put it into the right perspective. We will do that, and we’ll do it quickly.”

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About Encyclopaedia Britannica:

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. (www.britannica.com) is a leader in reference and education publishing whose products can be found in many media, from the Internet to cell phones to books. A pioneer in electronic publishing since the early 1980s, the company still publishes the 32-volume Encyclopaedia Britannica, along with services such as Britannica Online School Edition and new printed products such as Britannica Discovery Library, available for purchase at Britannica’s online store(britannicashop.britannica.co.uk). Britannica’s editorial operation is overseen by some of the world’s most distinguished scholars, several of them Nobel laureates. The company makes its headquarters in Chicago.

Contact:

Tom Panelas Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 001 312-347-7309 tpanelas@eb.com