Jakarta –
The moon should be considered part of the planet according to a group of teams researcher. The reason behind his statement also attracted the attention of a number of people including other experts why he came to this conclusion.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has a very strict definition of ‘planet’. According to the definition drawn up, modified, and agreed upon in August 2006, an astronomical object is officially a planet if it: It orbits the Sun, has sufficient mass to be spherical, and its orbit is clean.
From this strict rule, there are only eight recognized planets in the Solar System namely Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto who had entered, was kicked out, and became a controversy.
Led by scientists planet Phillip Metzger of the University of Central Florida, the researchers urged that all three criteria be specifically dropped, and the definition of a planet simplified. He said an object can be said to be a planet simply by the fact that it is active or has been geologically active.
As such, this rule would place many Solar System objects in the planetary category, including Earth’s Moon and many other moons, dwarf planets, and even asteroids. The reason is the fact that the shapes of these objects are similar enough that they can be grouped together.
“It’s like defining a ‘mammal,'” Metzger said.
“They are mammals whether they live on land or in the sea. It’s not about their location. It’s about the intrinsic characteristics that make them what they are.”
Over a five-year period, the team conducted an in-depth review of the last 400 years of scientific literature on the planet. They found that, gradually over time, the definition established by Galileo in the 1630s had changed considerably.
Planet, according to Galileo, are objects made of elements that change over time, just like the Earth. Also, as the researchers interpret, they are geologically active. They also cite Galileo’s argument that planets reflect sunlight, rather than produce their own light.
This definition was used until the 20th century. When Pluto was discovered in 1930, it was categorized as a planet. But between 1910 and the 1950s, researchers found that there was a decline in interest in planetary science, at least as far as the literature goes, the number of papers published today is decreasing.
“This may seem like a small change, but it undermines the central idea of a planet that was descended from Galileo,” Metzger said.
“Planets are no longer defined on the basis of complex, active geology and potential for life and civilization. Instead, they are defined on a simple basis, following certain ideal paths around the Sun,” he concluded.
Launch Science Alert, paper these have been published on Icarus, and additional data are published online in full on the Metzger website.
Watch Videos “How was the Moon Formed?“
[Gambas:Video 20detik]
(ask/rns)
– .
