A planet would be any object or group of objects orbiting a star that cannot be readily mistaken as a common member of a belt of objects in said orbit.
The implications are straightfoward.
Any well known object in a belt can be considered a planet. A planet is simply a landmark in a field of debris. Be it Earth, Pluto, or the best little truck stop in the entire asteroid belt. Its a landmark convieniently named for reference.
The term planet is not scientific. Further, there is no scientific need to differentiate between an object which is a planet and one which is not. Scientific dialog must be in terms of characteristics of objects.
Any debate within the scientific community over this particular point is merely an excuse used to defend an individuals or groups lack of rigor or diligence in their professional communication.
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A planet would be any object or group of objects orbiting a star that cannot be readily mistaken as a common member of a belt of objects in said orbit.
The implications are straightfoward.
Any well known object in a belt can be considered a planet. A planet is simply a landmark in a field of debris. Be it Earth, Pluto, or the best little truck stop in the entire asteroid belt. Its a landmark convieniently named for reference.
The term planet is not scientific. Further, there is no scientific need to differentiate between an object which is a planet and one which is not. Scientific dialog must be in terms of characteristics of objects.
Any debate within the scientific community over this particular point is merely an excuse used to defend an individuals or groups lack of rigor or diligence in their professional communication.