![]() The IAU has stated that there are eight known planets in the Solar System. The decision was a controversial one, and has drawn both support and criticism from astronomers. An alternate proposal included dwarf planets as a subcategory of planets, but IAU members voted against this proposal. A non-satellite body fulfilling only the first criterion is termed a small Solar System body (SSSB). According to the IAU, "planets and dwarf planets are two distinct classes of objects" – in other words, "dwarf planets" are not planets. ![]() has " cleared the neighbourhood" around its orbit.Ī non- satellite body fulfilling only the first two of these criteria (such as Pluto, which had hitherto been considered a planet) is classified as a dwarf planet.has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly round shape), and.The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined in August 2006 that, in the Solar System, a planet is a celestial body that: Euler diagram showing the IAU Executive Committee conception of the types of bodies in the Solar System. For other uses, see Definition of planet. ![]() This article is about the formal definition established in 2006. ![]()
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