The International Astronomical Union (IAU), the body that is responsible for naming and classifying objects in the cosmos, has just announced that Pluto has been reclassified as a major planet. That's right, the little dwarf will be rejoining the ranks of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, ...
Alternative classification schemes continue to pop up. A 2017 proposal defined a planet as "a round object in space that's smaller than a star." This wouldmake Pluto a planet again, but it would do the same to theEarth's moonas well as many other moons in the solar system, and bring...
If an object is too small to make itself round, it is classified as a "small solar system body." Asteroids are not officially defined as such, but astronomers generally take the word to mean small solar system bodies that live in the inner solar system.Cometsare also considered small solar...
They got knocked down again; they stood up again.” In a coincidence, today's close approach falls on the 50th anniversary of the first flyby of Mars, another planet, which was completed by NASA-s Mariner 4 spaceship. There are no longer nine officially recognized planets, of course. The...
Pluto was officially labeled the ninth planet by the International Astronomical Union in 1930 and named for the Roman god of the underworld. It was the first and only planet to be discovered by an American, Clyde W. Tombaugh. It has since been reclassified as a Dwarf Planet along with Eris...
Since the recording of this show, dwarf planet 2003 UB313 has been officially named Eris, and its moon is Dysnomia Transcript Transcript: Pluto’s Planetary Identity Crisis Download the transcript Fraser Cain: If we talked to any astronomer, anyone in the space industry this last couple of mo...
T hey got knocked down again ; they s tood up again . "In a coincidenc e , today's clos e approach falls on th e 50th anniversary of th e first flyby of Mars , another planet , which was completed by NASA-s Mariner 4 spaceship .T her e ar e no longer nin e officially ...
It's somewhat ironic that a 2002 paper of his (and Levison) on the dynamic definition provided a major boost to start the SCIENTIFIC process that ultimately resulted in Pluto being OFFICIALLY declared as "not a planet". "Stern and Levison (2002) remarked that some bodies in the solar system...
first flyby of Mars, another plan-et, which was completed by NASA's Mariner 4 space-ship.There are no longer nine officially recognized planets,of course The International Astronomical Union regardedPluto as “adwarf planet” in 2006 in a decision that re-mains controversial(有争议的)today.1...
Again this illustrates that planetary bodies from a geophysical perspective includes more than just the IAU planets. Comparative planetology will include planets, dwarf planets and spheroidal moons. And the IAU definition will not stop researchers from referring to the planetary nature of these bodies....