Quote:
Originally Posted by deanm
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According to the linked article:
"We are planetary scientists, meaning we've spent our careers exploring and studying objects that orbit stars. We use "planet" to describe worlds with certain qualities.
...
We find ourselves using the word planet to describe the largest "moons" in the Solar System."
If you're going to accept their "definition" of a "planet" in order to include Pluto, you're going to have to include the Moon, Ceres, Titan, ... - you can't logically just stop at nine planets. (When Ceres was first discovered, it was originally classified as a planet - where is the outrage over its "demotion"?)
Or, if you accept the International Astronomical Union's definitions for "planet", "dwarf planet", "satellite" and "small solar system body", then Pluto is one of at least five (but probably hundreds, or thousands!) of Dwarf Planets orbiting the Sun - there's no shame in that status.
https://www.iau.org/static/resolutio...n_GA26-5-6.pdf