Earth Sciences 1086F/G Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Lowell Observatory, Solid Nitrogen, Distant Star
19 Mar 2019
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In chapter 5 we looked at the classification of planets in the solar system, and noted that as of august 2006 the. International astronomical union (iau) had demoted pluto from proper" planet to dwarf planet status. The reason for the reclassification was simply that more and more objects almost identical to pluto were being discovered, and we could eventually be talking about 50 planets that was deemed unworkable. The other objects in that category were ceres (in the asteroid belt) and eris, makemake and haumea (out past pluto, in the. At the end of that section in chapter 5, i noted that the in june, 2008, iau had relented at least a little and established a new sub-category. According to the iau announcement, the category plutoid has been introduced to describe. Currently, pluto, eris, makemake, and haumea are the lone occupants of that category, but there will be hundreds of others once all the details are worked out.
