A minor planet, according to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term minor planet, but that year's meeting reclassified minor planets and comets into small Solar System bodies (SSSBs) and dwarf planets, including into the respective categories comets and Pluto, which were generally not considered minor planets.
A minor planet, according to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term minor planet, but that year's meeting reclassified minor planets and comets into small Solar System bodies (SSSBs) and dwarf planets, including into the respective categories comets and Pluto, which were generally not considered minor planets.
Source: Wikipedia "Minor planet" · CC BY-SA 4.0
Share this article: X · Bluesky