The debate on the definition of a planet is raging on. "The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is expected to propose wording to delineate planets from other small, round objects at its 12-day General Assembly meeting in Prague this August", writes Robert Roy Britt in Space.com.
The controversy was sparked off in the 1990s, when the first Kuiper-belt objects were observed. It is now apparent that at least one of them is larger than planet Pluto. So if they are all denied planet status, so should Pluto, leaving the solar system with only 8 'genuine' planets. Alternatively, school kids may have to remember a heck of a lot more planet names!
How many planets?
