The IAU screwed up their planet definition 13 years ago today, but we've learned that dwarf planets like Pluto are full-fledged planets, &, numbering over 120, the most common type of planet, ahead of giants & terrestrials. @AlanStern @DrPhiltill @carolynporco @plutokiller
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4/ So even though the community had decided in the 1960s that small bodies are not planets, we never forged a broad consensus on what the exact size limit is. We are *NOW* arguing (since ~2004?) that geological rounding is the size limit that is most taxonomically useful.
The fact that this wasn't a big worry UNTIL Pluto was demoted suggests that it wasn't a very crucial distinction.
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Alan Stern is completely consistent on this. He says the moon is a planet, but I don't see anyone pushing the IAU to state there are 50-some planets in the solar system today.
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The arm waving about (re)defining a "planet" by
@IAU_org began with outrage by the#PlutoMafia Since then no one has bothered to try and assemble members to reverse/revise that action. If this was such an egregious decision you'd think scientists would have fixed it.#cricketsThanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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