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What asteroids were called
Aug. 22nd, 2006 12:23 amThis history of the naming of asteroids is really good. It's clear from this that the current situation with Pluto and the Kuiper Belt is almost a replay of the nomenclature confusion over the main belt asteroids in the early 19th century.
As Scott Westerfeld pointed out shortly after being eaten by Great Cthulhu, that process ended with none of the asteroids having the status of planet, though the term "minor planet" is still occasionally used today. And it was even somewhat less ambiguous, in that Ceres was both the first main-belt asteroid discovered, the largest, and the one with by far the best claim to being a planet (look at it!) It will be interesting if the debate over Pluto's status ends up with Ceres re-declared a planet as well.
As Scott Westerfeld pointed out shortly after being eaten by Great Cthulhu, that process ended with none of the asteroids having the status of planet, though the term "minor planet" is still occasionally used today. And it was even somewhat less ambiguous, in that Ceres was both the first main-belt asteroid discovered, the largest, and the one with by far the best claim to being a planet (look at it!) It will be interesting if the debate over Pluto's status ends up with Ceres re-declared a planet as well.