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Posted by Kate Luther Aug 20, 2006 |
And that's just the beginning.
To settle the long-standing debate over Pluto - is it a planet or is it an asteroid - scientists have come up with a compromise: redefine what qualifies as a planet and then categorize those objects. Under the proposal, all planets discovered prior to 1900 would remain a planet (Mercury through Neptune). Those discovered after (including Pluto) would be subject to the new definition, one that defines smaller, planet-like objects as "plutons".
So, Pluto gets to stay in as a Pluton, but three more now qualify as well: Ceres (the asteroid between Mars and Jupiter), Charon (Pluto's Moon) and 2003 UB313, dubbed Xena by its discoverer, Michael Brown.
Okay, that's not so bad. Twelve planets. The grade school kids can still handle that. But the fun doesn't stop there.
Under the new definition, we could have hundreds of "plutons" as astronomers continue to discover new objects orbiting our Sun. In fact, there are an estimated 44 more celestial bodies out there that could qualify under the new proposal. Pretty soon, it will be easier to name all the Presidents than the planets.
Want to learn more? Get the scoop on the new planets here.