• zqps
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    81 month ago

    So whatever hypothetical density constitutes an atmosphere becomes the arbitrary line in the sand.

    • @[email protected]
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      21 month ago

      Well, yeah. But even so, it’s still better than the current definition. Many “planets” have not, in fact, cleared their orbit.

      • @[email protected]
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        101 month ago

        Planet has never been very well delineated. The Sun was a “planet”. Ceres was a “planet”.

        When we find enough things to break up the classification, we make a new classification. Like “asteroid” or “dwarf planet” or “gas giant”.

    • Spzi
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      11 month ago

      Similar to the arbitrarily defined density of other stuff in the same orbit. We need to draw lines somewhere to impose categories on nature.