> What I don't like about the "cleared its orbit" criterion is that it's something you can't tell from looking at the object itself. Dwarf planet is a helpful

> What I don't like about the "cleared its orbit" criterion is that it's something you can't tell from looking at the object itself. Dwarf planet is a helpful term in some contexts but not others. The solar system is a dynamic system, when talking about the whole thing or its evolution it's useful to distinguish between planets and dwarfs.