plutoid
English
Etymology
Pronunciation
Audio (US): (file)
Noun
plutoid (plural plutoids)
- (astronomy, obsolete) A trans-Neptunian dwarf planet.
Usage notes
- This term is abortive. It was announced in 2008 by the Executive Committee of the IAU without consultation with the Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature of the IAU, due to an e-mail miscommunication. Subsequently in 2008 or 2009 the WG-PSN rejected the term.[1]
- This term was intended to capture a purported geological distinction between the supposedly terrestrial dwarf-planet asteroid (1) Ceres and the icy trans-Neptunian dwarf planets, but such a distinction is no longer considered warranted, as all of these bodies are icy.[1]
Translations
trans-Neptunian dwarf planet