ASTRO: Defining 'planet' wasRe: [extropy-chat] The list is not dead...

[Mike Lorrey]

--- mail at harveynewstrom.com wrote:

> Mike Lorrey writes: 
> 
> > I myself would, beyond my and Sterns definition, divide planets up
> into
> > the following categories: gas giants, terrestrial planets, and ice
> > planets. I would regard the round asteroid Ceres as a terrestrial
> > planet (that it suffers from Jupiter's gravitational imperialism is
> a
> > separate issue), and all the KBOs that are round as ice planets.
> 
> I agree totally.  I even wish we didn't distinguish between stars,
> moons and planets. We should describe objects based on their
> characteristics. I would prefer a system like this: 
> 
> X-rayballs: Quasars, Blackholes, etc.
> Neutronballs: Neutron stars, collapsed stars, etc.
> Lightballs:  Sun, stars, etc.
> Heatballs: Brown Dwarfs, Jupiter, Saturn?, etc.
> Gasballs: Uranus, Neptune, etc.
> Dirtballs: Earth, Ganymede, Luna, Ceres, etc.
> Iceballs: Pluto, Charon, 2003UB313, 2003EL61, Sedna, Varuna, Quaoar
> etc.
> Nonballs(fragments): Irregularly shaped moons, asteroids, fragments,
> debris 

Harvey, you sound like you have a testicular fixation... ;)

Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
Founder, Constitution Park Foundation:
http://constitutionpark.blogspot.com
Personal/political blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com


		
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