Quote:
Originally Posted by AstralTraveller
The trouble is, if Pluto is a planet so are all similar Kuiper Belt objects. I think there are 3-4 known now but everyone expects that to rise. How many dozen planets do you want to have to remember?  |
Pluto is not even the largest of the Kuiper Belt objects:
Eris 2300–2400 km
Haumea ~ 1,960 × 1,518 × 996 km
Pluto 1153 ± 10 km
Quaoar 890 ± 70 km
Makemake 710 ± 30 km
Ixion 650 +260 −220 km
Varuna from 500 to 1060 km
Pluto has not cleared its orbit of everything of competing size (no chance of it ever clearing out Neptune) but is at least roughly spherical.
One out of three.
Andrew