Should Mercury be considered a midget planet?

Question

Pluto is a drawf planet...

Sorry, misspelled dwarf...

Answer 1

Funny, but nope. Mercury is the "real deal." Here is the new IAU definition:

A "planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.

I learned something by asking a question about this in jest earlier today. Second URL below

Aloha

Answer 2

So Pluto is a dwarf planet. Mercury..?? Which one's next??? It sounds like a scientist is trying to make a name for themselves, and reclassifing planets. What size is the planet Earth? How can we attempt to measure anything in the Universe, and label it? From earliest times Pluto was perceived as a planet. When we have explored other galaxies, and can truly find what an average planet size is, we shouldn't label any of them.

Afterall, it is a miracle that we know it is there to begin with...

Answer 3

If we use the definition from the recent IAU conference, then Mercury is a planet. It orbits the Sun, it has enough mass for self-gravity to bring it into a spherical shape and it is the pre-dominant body in its orbit.

Pluto fails the third part of the definition due to the presence of numerous Kuiper Belt Objects in its general vicinity.

BTW, Charon becomes a "small system body" because it orbits Pluto even though the barycenter is in outer space.

Answer 4

No, the classification of Pluto as a dwarf planet concerned it's orbit and effect on other objects as well as it's size. Mercury satisfies the new criteria for planet.

Answer 5

You know mercury couldn't be a midget planet because doesn't midget mean short?
How can we measure a planet as short?

P.S. pluto is no longer a planet since last week from now
yes, it sucks