© 2023 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

What Defines a Planet?

In 2006, astronomers voted to remove Pluto from the list of planets in Earth's solar system — continuing an ongoing controversy over what exactly defines a planet.

Scientist Mark Sykes, director of the Planetary Science Institute, argues in the journal Science that a planet should simply be defined as "a round object orbiting a star."

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
WUSF 89.7 depends on donors for the funding it takes to provide you the most trusted source of news and information here in town, across our state, and around the world. Support WUSF now by giving monthly, or make a one-time donation online.