An expert panel charged with ending the debate over what is and isn't a planet has come up with a radical solution: end use of the term altogether, unless it is accompanied by a qualifier. Debates on nomenclature are common in science, but the planet question is one of the few to have spilled into the public arena. Researchers have argued over the status of Pluto for decades, for example, with some claiming that it is not a fully fledged planet. Similar rows have raged in recent years over how to describe new additions to the Solar System. The panel could now be close to settling such matters. If it succeeds, works ranging from encyclopedias to children's books will have to be updated.
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