MEXICO: Thousands of planetary objects have been discovered since 1980s but scientists are still finding it difficult to classify them.
Now, Jean-Luc Margot, a professor from UCLA has proposed a simpler definition of a planet. It will help clearly separate planets from other objects like dwarf or minor planets that are orbiting around stars other than Sun.
The current definition by International Astronomical Union applies to only those planets that are within our solar system, leaving all the newly discovered bodies in a ‘definitional limbo’.
The new method will require only star’s mass, planet’s mass and orbiting period. All these requirements can be easily accessed through space telescopes observations. The new formula can easily classify all eight planets in our solar system and 99 percent of known exoplanets into different categories.
Margot’s definition primarily focuses on a planet’s ability to clearing the neighborhood around its orbit. If a planet is gravitationally dominant and clears its orbital neighborhood in a specific time frame, then it should be classified as a planet.
The method clearly places eight planets in our solar system in a separate category and other dwarf planets like Ceres, Pluto and Eris into other category.
“The disparity between planets and non-planets is striking,” said Margot. “The sharp distinction suggests that there is a fundamental difference in how these bodies formed, and the mere act of classifying them reveals something profound about nature.”
