Scientific Definition: Planet

Eduardo Alcaraz

Professor Bruce

English 383

25 February 2019

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Introduction

A planet is a celestial body that does not undergo thermal fusion, that orbits a sun, and is

nearly a sphere.

The word planet comes from the Greek πλάνητ (Planet-) meaning wanderer, referring to

the motion of the planets relative to the star filled night sky [3]. Around 1000 AD the term was

altered for use in Old English, being written as planete or apo tes planes [3]. The term gets it

modern construction in the Middle English period, being borrowed from the Norman French,

approximately 1300 AD [3].

The definition of a planet has changed over time in the European tradition. Nicolaus

Copernicus’ argument of a celestial arrangement of a heliocentric (sun-centered) solar system

overturned the older Ptolemaic geocentric (Earth-centered), system.

Thusly, a new definition of planets was needed [3, 4, 5]. The sun and

moon, both once considered planets, were no longer [3]. In their place,

the Earth would take up the title, along with several other orbiting orbs

that would later be discovered from the 18th to the 21st century [3].
Nicolaus Copernicus,
The list of planets would, as of 1930, consisted of (in order of distance Biography.com
from the sun)

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

The Pluto Problem

However, that list would see an alteration with the discovery of Eris and Ceres, other

celestial objects in the far distant Kuiper Belt, an area of the solar system beyond the orbit of

Neptune [3, 6]. The Eris and Ceres discovery, along with several other similar sized objects in

the Kuiper Belt, would pose a problem for defining planets. In addition, astronomers from the

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University of Hawaii discovered thousands of objects of similar composition rivaling Pluto,

furthering the need for a more specific definition [7].

These discoveries necessitated a reform for what constituted as a planet. The

International Astronomical Union (IAU), the organization responsible for deciding international

conventions of such a nature, created the aptly named Planet Definition Committee of the IAU

Executive Committee [7]. The redefining of planet would conclude at the 2006 IAU General

Assembly in Prague, where the final resolution would try to make clear what a planet was. They

define ‘planets’ as:

1. A celestial body

2. In orbit around a star

3. Having enough mass to be in a nearly round shape

4. And has cleared its orbit of other objects [2]

At the end, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars were left as planets [7]. Likewise, Jupiter,

Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune kept their classification [7]. Pluto did not fare such a fair fate.

Plutons, not Dwarf Planets

Pluto joined Ceres and Eris as the first members of a new celestial classification: Plutons

[7]. The IAU defines plutons as:

1. A Celestial body

2. That orbits around a star

3. Having enough mass to be in a nearly round shape

4. But has not cleared its orbit of other objects [2]

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 Noting the fourth point, Pluto exists relatively closely to other objects. Unlike the other

eight celestial bodies, Pluto failed to clean up its orbit, partly due to its small mass. However,

according to IAU designation, Pluto is technically still a planet [8]. Pluto is unique as it is also a

Pluton.

To better understand this distinction, think about apples roses, tulips, and daisies. All of

these are plants, but apples have an additional categorization of fruit. Likewise, Pluto, Earth,

Mars, and Jupiter are all planets. Pluto is a planet and a pluton. Earth, Mars, and Jupiter are

planets but are not plutons.

Pluto may be sometimes referred to as a dwarf planet. However, according to the IAU,

the term dwarf planet is descriptive rather than scientific[8]. It is used commonly as an aid to

help simplify concepts, much like how a doctor might describe a patient as sick rather than

detailing the illness as an infection or an autoimmune response.

Planets by the Numbers; And then there were Eight

Model Solar System: Note that his figure is to illustrate position of the planets relative to the sun and is not
drawn to scale. The vertical line represents a break between the inner rocky planets and the gaseous outer ones.
Source: I made this image.

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 The following chart displays the corresponding distance from the sun, the radius of the

planet, the length of day and length of year. The distance is measured both in millions of

kilometers and astronomical units (AU). A single AU is the average distance Earth is from the

Sun. This would make one AU equivalent to about 93 million miles. The length of days and

years are in number of Earth days.

Planet Day Year Radius (Km) Distance (mil-Km) Distance (AU)

Mercury 59 88 2440 58 0.4
Venus 243 225 3760 67 0.7
Earth 1 365 6052 150 1
Mars 1.02 687 3390 228 1.5
Jupiter 0.41 4333 69911 778 5.2
Saturn 0.45 10585 58232 1400 9.5
Uranus 0.72 30660 15759 2900 19.8
Neptune 0.67 60225 15299 4500 30

Chart 1: Information sourced from National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Planets. NASA Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Online.

The first four planets, Mercury Venus, Earth, and Mars are composed mostly of rocky

material [9]. They are called the terrestrial planets. Earth, the third planet from the sun, has the

unique feature of being the only planet known to harbor life. The next two, Jupiter and Saturn,

are giant balls of dense gas. Thusly, the two are called the gas giants. The last two, Uranus and

Neptune, are large and are made of mostly ice. Similarly, they are called ice giants.

A Ninth Planet

A feature of the ever-evolving state of science is the alteration of definitions and ideas

with the introduction of new information. New research has prompted the creation of hypothesis

of a theoretical ninth planet [10]. This planet would have a mass five thousand times the mass of

Pluto [10].

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 The planet has not actual been seen by astronomers. Instead, utilizing mathematical

models, scientists Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown from Caltech believe they have evidence

of a large mass out in the Kuiper Belt [11]. By studying the positions of known Kuiper Belt

objects, Batygin and Brown were able to justify local clustering that only has a 0.007% of natural

occurrence. I also used several analogies.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Israel Romero for critiquing the essay.

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 Works Cited

1. International Astronomical Union. About the IAU. IAU, Online.

2. International Astronomical Union. IAU 2006 General Assembly. IAU, Online.

3. Wilton, Dave. 2015. Planet, Dwarf Planet. Wordorigns, Online.

4. Sagan, Carl. Whose Revolution? Copernicus, Brahe & Kepler. Library of Congress,
Online.

5. Jones, A. R. 2008. Ptolemaic System. Encyclopedia Britannica, Online.

6. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Kuiper Belt. NASA Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Online.

7. International Astronomical Union. Pluto and the Developing Landscape of Our Solar
System. IAU, Online.

8. Binzel, R. et al. 2006. IAU Planet Definition Committee. IAU, Online.

9. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Planets. NASA Jet Propulsion

Laboratory, Online.

10. Fesenmaier, K. 2016. Caltech Researchers Find Evidence of a Real Ninth Planet. Caltech,
Online.

11. Batygin, K et al. 2016. Evidence for a Distant Giant Planet in the Solar System. The
American Astronomical Society, Online.

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 Post Write

I utilized several definition strategies. Firstly, I organized the definition by stratifying the

piece into easy to read sections. I then headed each one. In addition, each graphic utilized has a

description for context. Furthermore, scientific jargon is defined to aid the reader.