• Kerrigor@kbin.social
    2·
    1 year ago

    The “cleared its orbit” requirement is too arbitrary and non-scientific. We should’ve gone the other direction and classified more objects as planets.

    • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
      1·
      1 year ago

      well yeah it’s quite readily admitted to be non-scientific, scientists generally just use “celestial object” afaik.

    • Umbrias@beehaw.org
      1·
      1 year ago

      Then we’d have several hundred to a few thousand planets and need a new term for the larger celestial objects anyway. Seems silly. Planet is already arbitrary.