One of these fronts involved a bewildering variety of planets discovered around other stars. In rapid succession, we learned about extrasolar pulsar planets, hot Jupiters, superEarths and more. And there is now a widespread scientific consensus that the 300-plus planetary discoveries made so far around other stars only hint at the true variety.
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The other front formed in a revolution much closer to home, with the discovery of dozens of Pluto-scale (2,400-kilometer diameter class) “dwarf planets” in our solar system. Dwarf planets, which are expected to be common around other stars (but are as yet beyond the reach of most observational techniques), are likely to prove the most dominant type of planet in the galaxy.
As with other revolutions, change consternates some people and organizations. And just such consternation led a few hundred mostly astronomers (mind you, I did not say mostly planetary scientists) at an International Astronomical Union meeting in mid-2006 to vote that dwarf planets are not planets. Ignoring the simple fact that voting is not a valid process to vet scientific principles (what if the IAU voted the sky was green?), many press reports incorrectly described the IAU reclassification of Pluto and other dwarf planets as a fiat.