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

[david]

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
> -- 

one suggested change :

Oddballs : Irregularly shaped moons, asteroids, fragments, debris

after all, not all balls are round - eg. footballs.   : )

-david