Pluto update

[ciphergoth]

According to the latest news it looks like Pluto may be denied planet status after all. Rah!

One of these things is not like the others:

Comments

[drdoug.livejournal.com]

Hmm - I'd like to leave Pluto out, but the proposal for having 'is the dominant body in its orbit' as a rule is crap - the only merit is that it excludes Pluto. What if an Earth-style body was found intersecting the orbit of a Jupiter-style one? I'd say the smaller body was still a planet. (I know current theory says that's unlikely - but unlikely, not impossible.)

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

I agree. Since they're explicitly saying that this definition only applies to this Solar System, I don't know why they don't simply define planet as "any body above 200 Yg". Or indeed "any body given that title by the IAU, starting with these eight".

[keirf.livejournal.com]

Nine. Starting with these nine.