The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #93891   Message #1812325
Posted By: Wolfgang
17-Aug-06 - 12:20 PM
Thread Name: BS: How many planets are there?
Subject: RE: BS: How many planets are there?
But by their own criteria, they should also include the Moon (Paul Burke)

Wrong. By their own (not yet adopted) criteria, the Moon remains a moon and Charon would be upgraded to a planet. Why? The position of the common center of gravity of a "planet" and a "moon" defines according to the new criteria whether the "moon" is a moon or is upgraded to a planet sharing roughly the same orbit with the original "planet". When the common center of gravity (around which both orbit) is within the larger of the two bodies then the smaller one is a moon, if the common center of gravity is some place between the two bodies orbiting a star then both are planets.

One may call that definition arbitrary but the classification of the Moon as a moon is consistent with the new criteria.

Wolfgang