What is a planet? What is a house? And a chair?
It is all about definition.

At the 26th International Astronomical Union General Assembly (IAU) being held in Prague, scientists are trying to establish a new definition for ’planet’.

If the new definition of planet is approved, in a some billions of years, earth’s own moon may be classified as a planet.

Dr. Kaughlin said that the moon is likely to become a planet since the distance between the moon and the earth grows 3.75 centimeters a year.

“If the earth and the moon still exist in a few billion years, the barycenter of gravity between the two will move to outside the earth. When that happens, the moon may be regarded a planet,” added Dr. Kaughlin.

Inspired in article found on “People’s Daily Online”
August 24, 2006