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I didn't know this, but apparently there isn't scientific criteria for what makes a moon a moon. They better be careful, though, or else we'll have another Plu

I didn't know this, but apparently there isn't scientific criteria for what makes a moon a moon. They better be careful, though, or else we'll have another Pluto situation where we try to classify something and end up classifying it out of its own category.

atoav 2y ago
Pluto was more like: 1. We know 9 planets in the Sol solar system 2. Oh shit, there are way more of those small ones, where do we draw the line? Is there a thing differenciating a big asteroid from a planet? 3. Let's go with (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit. 4. Pluto doesn't satisfy (c) 5. People get angry without proposing their own criteria
- foxyv 2y ago
  I think we could have saved a lot of grief just making Pluto an honorary planet. c. Has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit excepting Pluto.
  - n4r9 2y ago
    I guess you have to weigh up a couple of decades of annoyance against possibly millennia of caveats.
j_timberlake 2y ago
Pluto is a Canis Familiaris, Goofy is a Canis Goofus, I dunno why this confuses people.