The discussion centers on the existence of planetoids larger than Pluto within the solar system. Eris, discovered in the scattered disc, is noted to be 27 percent more massive than Pluto, although recent measurements suggest it may be smaller than initially thought. Additionally, Neptune's moon Triton, along with Jupiter's Galilean moons (Ganymede, Europa, Io, and Callisto) and Saturn's moon Titan, are all confirmed to be larger than Pluto. The conversation emphasizes the distinction between objects that orbit the Sun and those that do not.
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The issue was brought to a head by the discovery of Eris, an object in the scattered disc far beyond the Kuiper belt, that is now known to be 27 percent more massive than Pluto.
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Though Pluto is the largest KBO, a number of objects outside the Kuiper belt which may have begun their lives as KBOs are larger. Eris is the most obvious example, but Neptune's moon Triton, which, as explained above, is probably a captured KBO, is also larger than Pluto.
Leumas71 said:...a planet that orbits the sun...
cepheid said:Actually, it just occurred to me that if Triton is bigger than Pluto, then it stands to reason that some of the moons of the Jovian planets might be as well. Indeed, the "Galilean" moons of Jupiter (Ganymede, Europa, Io, and Callisto), are ALL larger than Pluto, as is Saturn's moon Titan. EDIT: and Earth's moon too.
Algr said:Ganymede and Titan are even bigger then Mercury.