[meteorite-list] 'Plutons' Push Planet Total Up To 12

From: David Weir <dgweir_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Aug 16 13:50:07 2006
Message-ID: <44E35A68.4030604_at_earthlink.net>

Sterling,

I have another scenario that will need an official decision someday if
discovered to occur. What if two spherical bodies rotate around a common
barycenter, but this barycenter is located outside of the more massive
orbital partner during half its revolution and inside during the other
half. Obviously the larger body will not be perfectly spherical and/or
the orbits not circular for this scenario to occur. Would the less
massive body then be a planet or a satellite? Would the decision be
based on the length of time that the center of revolution is either
outside or inside the more massive body, i.e., would it be a satellite
some of the time and a planet some of the time, or would it be a
satellite all of the time if at any time during its orbit its barycenter
is located inside the more massive object?

David
Received on Wed 16 Aug 2006 01:48:24 PM PDT