Profile pic is from Jason Box, depicting a projection of Arctic warming to the year 2100 based on current trends.
Not only isn’t the Sun really a dwarf compared to many smaller stars, it’s also not yellow. These are just holdovers from early astronomy where things were classified before a lot of knowledge wasn’t known. Which is also the case with Pluto.
I don’t like the idea of actually requiring a clearing out of the orbit. Is this not including Trojan areas, because there will always be stuff there for any planet.
The phrase “clearing the neignborhood” doesn’t mean the orbit is clear, it means the planet in question has gravitational dominance over anything in its orbit, so larger bodies are either captures as moons or removed via gravitational slingshot. This allows wanderers and other captured bodies.
The same astronomer (Margot) has remarked that gravitational dominance was clearer language, and it’s interesting that I’ve found in many reputable sources like NASA where they’ve dumbed down this third rule to just clearing the orbit, which is NOT correct as I mentioned above.
As for anyone who ever pulls the “I think Pluto is a planet”…it is a planet, as a subclass with restrictions.
Elite Dangerous. Ultimate sandbox. If by living within the game I could have all the little extras that the developers never put in, I’d be set, and take off exploring.