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IAU 2006 General Assembly: video-records of the discussion and of the final vote on the Planet definition. Planet Definition Questions & Answers Sheet, International Astronomical Union Official Site; Q&A: The IAU's Proposed Planet Definition Q&A article on the new definition from SPACE.com; Dwarf planet discoverer Mike Brown explains the ...
Pluto fulfills the first two of these criteria, but not the third and therefore does not qualify as a planet under this formalized definition. The IAU's decision has not resolved all controversies. While many astronomers have accepted it, some planetary scientists have rejected it outright, proposing a geophysical or similar definition instead.
The geophysical definition of a planet put forth by Stern and Levinson is an alternative to the IAU's definition of what is and is not a planet and is meant to stand as the geophysical definition, while the IAU definition, they argue, is intended more for astronomers. Nonetheless, some geologists favor the IAU's definition.
"Clearing the neighbourhood" is one of three necessary criteria for a celestial body to be considered a planet in the Solar System, according to the definition adopted in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). [1] In 2015, a proposal was made to extend the definition to exoplanets. [2]
The 2006 IAU definition presents some challenges for exoplanets because the language is specific to the Solar System and the criteria of roundness and orbital zone clearance are not presently observable for exoplanets. [1] In 2018, this definition was reassessed and updated as knowledge of exoplanets increased. [216]
According to the IAU's explicit count, there are eight planets in the Solar System; four terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) and four giant planets, which can be divided further into two gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn) and two ice giants (Uranus and Neptune). When excluding the Sun, the four giant planets account for more than ...
Recommendations submitted to the IAU national committees will be considered, but final selection of the names is the responsibility of the International Astronomical Union. Where appropriate, the WGPSN strongly supports an equitable selection of names from ethnic groups, countries, and gender on each map; however, a higher percentage of names ...
The IAU is also responsible for the system of astronomical telegrams which are produced and distributed on its behalf by the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. The Minor Planet Center also operates under the IAU, and is a "clearinghouse" for all non-planetary or non-moon bodies in the Solar System. [9]