2006/01/16 by Gibor Basri, Michael E. Brown · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astronomical and nuclear sciences #History and Developments in Astronomy #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1146/annurev.earth.34.031405.125058
published as Ann.Rev.Earth Planet.Sci. 34 (2006) 193-216 · 23 pages
openalex publication_date 2006/01/16 · arxiv created 2006/08/20 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The past 15 years have brought about a revolution in our understanding of our Solar System and other planetary systems. During this time, discoveries include the first Kuiper belt objects (KBOs), the first brown dwarfs, and the first extrasolar planets. Although discoveries continue apace, they have called into question our previous perspectives on planets, both here and elsewhere. The result has been a debate about the meaning of the word “planet” itself. It is clear that scientists do not have a widely accepted or clear definition of what a planet is, and both scientists and the public are confused (and sometimes annoyed) by its use in various contexts. Because “planet” is a very widely used term, it seems worth the attempt to resolve this problem. In this essay, we try to cover all the issues that have come to the fore and bring clarity (if not resolution) to the debate.