I am a (small) planet

"Astronomers have voted to strip Pluto of its status as a planet"

Well, Pluto is definitely a planet as far as I'm concerned. What happened to the "it's round and it revolves around the Sun", common sense definition?

Apparently it is now a "dwarf planet", although it seems the Earth also fits this definition so astronomers might soon think of us as little dwarfish people.

Have you noticed something curious about the new definition for a 'proper' planet?

* it must be in orbit around the Sun
* it must be large enough that it takes on a nearly round shape
* it has cleared its orbit of other objects

This actually means that like Pluto, the only condition I don't meet, is the last. I share my orbit with the Earth. So, I too must be a dwarf planet rather than a 'proper' one. Well it's nice to know I'm not a piece of cosmic dust or a super massive black hole :-/

The planet Pluto was discovered in 1930, and named after a suggestion by an 11 years old Oxford Schoolgirl (Venetia Phair). Well that's good enough for me.

Listening to: The Thompson Twins, "We Are Detective"
Feeling: hmmmm, small and slightly eliptical