Plutons and planetoids

"Under fire from other astronomers and the public, a committee appointed by the International Astronomical Union revised and then revised again a definition proposed last week that would have expanded the number of official planets to 12 . . . The new definition offered yesterday would set up a three-tiered classification scheme with eight “planets”; a group of “dwarf planets” that would include Pluto, Ceres, Xena and many other icy balls in the outer solar system." [1]

source
[1] The New York Times. Astronomers in a Quandary Over Pluto’s Status. August 23, 2006.

posted: august 23, 2006, 10:19 PM ET.