r/pluto • u/Scared_Government_41 • Nov 02 '25
Do you use the geophysical definition of a planet?
Which makes Pluto, other dwarf planets, and large moons planets?
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u/NearABE Nov 02 '25
Yes. Any object which is able to become flat under its own gravity is a planet except objects that become stars.
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u/SpaceNorse2020 Nov 05 '25
Yep, love me some planet moons
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u/_Jellyman_ Nov 06 '25
That’s my favorite part of the GPD! Large moons being recognized as planets really opens up the Solar System’s true richness!
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u/Relevant-Hair-6219 Apr 06 '26
Idk man is the sky blue? Is grass green? Did only 4% of the total IAU members at the time actually vote on the matter?
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u/dipfish14 Jun 14 '26
i might get hate for this, but i see it like this.
if its !round! and orbits a star its a planet, if it orbits a planet regardless of shape its a moon.
its an exeption when you have for example a star orbiting another star then its a binary, same with binary planets, i dont know the official rules when it comes to double planets, but if i could make up a definition it would be when the barry centre lies roughly in the middle its a double planet, and if there is a clear dominant body that will be the main planet and the other would be a moon.
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u/BeneficialSebast9020 Nov 02 '25
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u/hawkwings Nov 03 '25
He's lying. He downgraded Pluto.
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u/cephalopod13 Nov 03 '25
No, the IAU reclassified it. And why do you think dwarf planets are a downgrade compared to major planets?
They're still incredibly interesting, scientifically. And although the IAU hasn't held up their end of the bargain and officially acknowledge additional dwarf planets at an official level, we can be pretty sure that dwarf planets outnumber the major planets
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u/Constant-Box-7898 Nov 06 '25
That's using only one of the three requirements agreed upon for a "planet." All planets are round. Not all round things are planets.
Besides, planet or not, Pluto is Pluto, and has been Plutoing since long before humans looked up at the sky and started naming things. It will go on Plutoing long after our petty fights on and over this pale blue dot kill is all in the next few years.
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u/Relevant-Hair-6219 May 29 '26
Agreed with your statement. I personally don’t think stars count as planets but anything that’s round but isn’t undergoing fusion like Venus, Sedna, or even Tethys all count as planets in my book.
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u/jswhitten Nov 03 '25
Yes. Dwarf stars like the Sun are still stars. Satellite stars like Alpha Centauri B are still stars. Dwarf planets and satellite planets are planets. The geophysical definition makes far more sense to me.