ivica Notes from the Underground(2023) soon to be published
a PDF book (78 pages) of humour with original art-work

           (us$18.00......early bird price: us$9.00 OR can$12.00)

This is a (signed) limited edition book.
(Your book is unique: a little bit different from all the others)

Use your PAYPAL: paypal.me/ivica18
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Tell me what NAME you want on your personal numbered edition.
(questions? comments? ideas?)

 

a SAMPLE from the book: Notes from the Underground:

the Sun has 20 planets including Pluto

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What is a planet? a moon? a star?

The definition of a planet?

Any round star is orbited by 4 solid things:
1.round “planets”
2.non-round “little planets” like asteroids + comets
3.meteoroids
4.dust.

The definition of a moon?

Any planet/little planet can be orbited by 4 solid things:
1.round “moons”
2.non-round “little moons” like asteroids
3.meteoroids
4.dust.

* Earth has one moon.
* Mars has two little moons.
* Jupiter has 4 moons + 75 little moons (+ counting)
* Pluto has one moon + 4 little moons (+ counting)

A meteoroid is a small asteroid: about one-metre size.
Meteoroids entering + burning in an atmosphere are called meteors.
If they survive + hit our planet (maybe 10 per day) they are called meteorites.

We now have 4 distinct Sizes:
 planets+moons…asteroids+comets…meteoroids…dust
Dust is smaller than meteoroids
which are smaller than asteroids + comets
which are smaller than planets + moons.

Gravity in a vacuum of gases determines the sizes.
(Momentum: your weight x your velocity.)
(Oops, I meant your mass x your velocity.)
(And everybody has inertia: you don’t want to change unless forced to. Planets + moons have inertia too.)

* A double (or more) star/planet/moon is possible.
* ”Round” includes any elliptical shape (like Earth).
(Really, round orbits or round natural solid things are not “round”: they are somewhat elliptical.)

How elliptical is something?

An ellipse has an eccentricity between zero and one.
Zero is a circle.
One is a parabola.
More than one is a hyperbola which is not a hyperbole.
(I can hear your next question: negative eccentricity?)

The definition of round is a problem.
* These things can become round because of the tremendous pull of their own gravity on themselves (but only if they have a diameter of more than ~400 km.)
* Planet-or-little planet? moon-or-little moon? arguments will happen. 
(I suggest the Pluto Solution: “give them a break: round it up!”)

* So Pluto is (ipso facto) a planet. (You can argue with me, but you can’t argue with Pluto. It is round and it orbits a star.)

According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU)
which is a memer of the International Science Council (ISC):
there are 5 “official” dwarf planets that are not planets:
Ceres Pluto Haumea Makemake Eris (in Sun order).
There are also 7 unofficial dwarf planets + counting:
Orcus 2002 MS4 Salacia Varuna Quaoar Gonggong Sedna .
(They (the IAU) are entitled to an opinion.)
(Quaoar has a ring around it.)

So the Sun has 20 planets: 8 + 5 + 7 (+ counting).
If you are round + orbiting a star: you are a planet.
If you are round + orbiting a planet: you are a moon.
(You can also have rogue stars + planets + moons + IAUs.)

(Some people claim the Sun might have more than 200 planets.)

Feel free to correct me.
(I’d sure correct you.)
This stuff is out of date constantly
and that is a good thing: July 06, 2023.