plutoid

English

Etymology

Pluto +‎ -oid

Pronunciation
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Noun

plutoid (plural plutoids)

  1. (astronomy, obsolete) A trans-Neptunian dwarf planet.

Usage notes

The 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]

The 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

References
  1. IAU (2009). Division III (Planetary Systems Sciences): Triennial Report 2006–2009. Transactions IAU, Volume XXVIIA

Anagrams
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