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Old 04-03-2013, 12:39 PM
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barx1963 (Malcolm)
Bright the hawk's flight

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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Mt Duneed Vic
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Ron. The definition of "cleared it's orbit" is "a planet will have "cleared the neighbourhood" of its own orbital zone, meaning it has become gravitationally dominant, and there are no other bodies of comparable size other than its own satellites or those otherwise under its gravitational influence."

Obviously there will be asteriods meteorites etc crossing or sharing a planet orbits, but they are not of comparable size. As far as I am aware there are no objects of comparable size to Jupiter in it's zone. Pluto shares its orbital zone with Neptune and a host of Kuiper belt objects opf which it is not even the largest. Clearly it does not meet the definition.

The whole Pluto is a planet "debate" is IMHO rather silly, the IAU voted so as far as the IAU is concerned it ain't a planet. Of course, if you are not a member of the IAU one is perfectly at liberty to keep calling it a planet if one so desires!!

Malcolm
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