Re: Ok, so who's planet or satillite?

On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 23:56:39 -0400, "G" <geez@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>Me and a friend we're arguing over. What is a planet and what is a
>satellite...
>He said to me earth is a satellite. I said no earth is a planet, the moon is
>satellite.
>He states the earth is a satellite of the sun. I said no earth is a planet
>in the sun's solar system...
>Any way this argument can go on and on...
>So where is the line drawn for this?...
>Planet / satellite which ever?..

Your friend is right- the Earth is a satellite of the Sun. Neither
"satellite" nor "planet" have formal astronomical definitions, so a
broad range of usage is possible. The Earth is a planet by most
definitions, but that doesn't mean it isn't also a satellite. And the
Moon is also a planet by the original definition, although few would
call it one anymore.

There is no point in arguing this, because there is no "right" answer.
That's why it is important to be clear in your usage, and not expect a
single word to convey your meaning.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com
.

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