Posted AT 2:00 AM EST on 15/08/06
There goes the solar system
The world's astronomers are shaking up the solar system by proposing to raise the number of planets to 12 from nine, and opening the way for dozens more to follow in a startling new vision of our cosmic neighbourhood.
The discovery of numerous small objects circling the sun had triggered a quandary that threatened to boot Pluto out of the classical solar system and forced the International Astronomical Union to redefine what exactly a planet is.
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