alternatehistory.com

The dwarf planet Ceres, as James Nicoll noted yesterday, was discovered by Italian astronomer Guiseppe Piazzi on 1 January 1801. At first thought to be a new planet, in the intervening two centuries Ceres was eventually shifted to the category of dwarf planet.

Was it possible for Ceres to have kept its planetary status for longer? Its eventual downgrading in the mid-19th century had much to do with the discovery of other minor planets of comparable size, and a desire to rationalize astronomers' organization of the solar system's bodies. Was it ever possible that they might lean towards a more elastic definition of planet, to set the boundary between planet and asteroid at a lower level than OTL? Or was it overdetermined that a world much smaller than some moons would not keep the title of planet for long?


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