Quote:
Originally Posted by timb
The IAU working definition states objects with true masses below the limiting mass for thermonuclear fusion of deuterium (currently calculated to be 13 Jupiter masses for objects of solar metallicity) that orbit stars or stellar remnants are "planets". Brown dwarfs are not stars, therefore no object orbiting a brown dwarf is a planet. |
I'm afraid you're reading it incorrectly - it is not an exhaustive definition for extrasolar planets. It says that planetary-mass objects orbiting stars
are planets, but does not say that
only such objects are planets.
As the
WGESP position statement says: "Rather than try to construct a detailed definition of a planet which is designed to cover all future possibilities, the WGESP has agreed to restrict itself to developing a working definition applicable to the cases where there already are claimed detections, e.g., the radial velocity surveys of companions to (mostly) solar-type stars, and the imaging surveys for free-floating objects in young star clusters. As new claims are made in the future, the WGESP will weigh their individual merits and circumstances, and will try to fit the new objects into the WGESP definition of a 'planet', revising this definition as necessary."
I assume frank discussion are now taking place!
