Planets Count in Solar System Set to Become Twelve from Present Nine
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If International Astronomical Union (IAU) has it is way (Controversial definition for planet) then we will have twelve planets in our solar system instead of current nine planets. These are the new expected planets:
- The asteroid Ceres, which is round, would be recast as a dwarf planet in the new scheme.
- Pluto would remain a planet and its moon Charon would be reclassified as a planet. Both would be called “plutons,” however, to distinguish them from the eight “classical” planets.
- A far-out Pluto-sized object known as 2003 UB313 would also be called a pluton.
The new controversial definition of Planet:
“A planet is a celestial body that (a) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (b) is in orbit around a star, and is neither a star nor a satellite of a planet.”
This is how our new solar systems should look like:
Click on the image to enlarge
What do you think about this new proposed arrangement??
Via Space.com
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Yeap, read it in a local news paper, but they said it was 10
I read it in The Hindu and it said Twelve…. Which paper did you read about this…. I feel Space.com gives pretty accurate info.
Interesting discussions are going on in the blog-o-sphere regarding this topic. The controversy lies in defining planets based on baricenter which introduces double planet for the first time. Let us wait for the final vote which is on 24th of August.
[...] Astronomers at International Astronomical Union have voted against Pluto there by demoting Pluto’s planet status. Many people are not happy about this as pluto was demoted based on a controversial definition of planets. Well now there are only eight planets and 2003 UB313 nick named Xena is staking its claim as a planet. [...]