I am also very confused on the contriversy, and had always thought the proper way to clasify what is, or isnt a planet, is how it was formed.<br /><br />For example, classic idea is the planets were formed by the dust disk that was leftover after the birth of our sun. Planets all formed in the same way, and as such all fall very close to the same plane as the suns equator. Even Uranus, which is tilted widly, still rotates around the plane of the suns equator.<br /><br />Same can be said of moons. No one has any trouble really determining a moon vs a captured asteroid. why? True moons tend to fall along the planets equator. Even, again, uranus in its tilted state, has its moons tilted so they are on the equator as well!<br /><br />Galileo used Jupiter and its moons to infer how the rest of the solar system ran, why can we not do the same?<br /><br />planets should not be classed by size, but by how they most likely formed.<br /><br />So here are possible adjusted definitions<br /><br />Moonlet: Object that rotates a planet near the plane of the equator, but does not have enough mass to assume a spherical shape.<br /><br />Moon: Object that rotates a planet near the plane of the equator, and has assumed a spherical shape<br /><br />Captured Moonlet/Moon: Moonlet or Moon that rotates a planet at an odd angle to the planet, most likely captured.<br /><br />Asteroid: Rocky object that rotates the sun at any angle, but does not have enough mass to form a spherical shape<br /><br />Kupiter: Icy object that rotates the sun at any angle, but does not have enough mass to form a spherical shape:<br /><br />Comet: Icy object that rotates the sun at any angle, and approaches close enough to develop a tail.<br /><br />Planetoid: Rocky, Icy, or Gas object that rotates the sun at any angle, and has enough mass to form a spherical shape, but can not sustain deutronium fusion<br /><br />Planet: Rocky, Icy, or Gas object that rotates the sun near the same plane of the equator, and has enough mass to form