Previously, I have mentioned about a proposal that will increase the number of planets in the solar system well above the current nine. However, many astronomers criticized the proposal as being vague and setting arbitrary cutoff points. One researcher even pointed out that Earth’s Moon might eventually become a planet when it drifts farther away from Earth.Here is an interesting note as extracted from Space.com:
Earth's Moon was born in a catastrophic collision more than 4 billion years ago. It started out very close to the planet but has been moving away ever since. It's currently drifting away about 1.5 inches (3.74 centimeters) every year.
Hence, a second proposal was put forth. If this proposal is approved, Pluto will be demoted to a non-planet status.
Link: Space.com
Image: NASA
Related post: Bigger Solar System?
Tags: Moon | Pluto | Planet | Planets | Solar System | IAU
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