And since the number of objects in the catalogue is fast approaching 10, 000, he advocates making Pluto the first five-figure minor planet.

ECONOMIST: Pluto out in the cold

Observatories around the world send their findings to the NASA-funded Minor Planet Center, which keeps a database of all known asteroids and comets in our solar system.

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Each asteroid is plotted using actual documented discovery dates taken from the Minor Planet Center and the Lowell Observatory, major astronomy centers that host large sets of publicly available data.

FORBES

When he detected the object, Bill Yeung contacted the Minor Planet Center in Massachusetts, the clearing house for such discoveries, which gave it the designation J002E3 and posted it on their Near-Earth Object Confirmation webpage.

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Mr Galloway said Britain regularly had minor earthquakes because "we live on a dynamic planet".

BBC: Earthquake

At the same time, though, it would retain its major-planet status, and would be regarded officially as a planet of both the major and the minor sort.

ECONOMIST: Pluto out in the cold