A Unified Nomenclature and Taxonomy for Planets, Stars, and Moons

Abstract

I solve the problem of nomenclature of planets, stars, and moons, and in doing so repair two of the IAU's blunders. Drawing and improving upon foundational work by Chen & Kipping, I describe a single, physics-based taxonomy that christens all objects in hydrostatic equilibrium as "stars," a category that contains several subcategories based on the relevant pressure terms in the equation of state. I also acknowledge dynamical considerations, which allow me to describe a single designation scheme for all "stars" following the Washington Multiplicity Catalog convention. Under this unified scheme, what we used to call "Planet Earth" is now the moon rock "star" Sun Da.