Re:Earth actually has two moons.
by redthrowaway on Thursday December 22, 2011 @03:06PM
(#3383031)
Isn't the criteria for planethood having sufficient mass to be largely spherical? I thought the moon was oblong due to tidal locking with the Earth. I realize that the Earth isn't a sphere, but in that case it's due to the centripetal force of its rotation on its own mass, which I think gives it a pass.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Being "largely spherical" is (post-Pluto furore) a necessary but not sufficient condition for being deemed a planet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definition_of_planet