Q: How many planets are there in our solar system?
Ans: 9
Q: Which is the smallest planet in our solar system?
Ans: Pluto
Both the above answers can get you negative marking in your IQ tests soon; 2500 active member of the IAU (International Astronomical Union) from 75 different countries are meeting at Prague to plausibly update both these time tested answers. They are also supposed to redefine the word 'Planet'.
According to most members, cold ice wrapped Pluto is not a planet because of it miniscule size. However they want Pluto to be a planet just because its known as a planet for so long. And they want to increase the number of planets in the solar system to 12 (including an asteroid called 'Ceres', pluto's moon called 'Charon' and a newly discovered object 2003 UB313, nicknamed Xena). As soon as these amedments will be voted by IAU members, textbooks and charts in thousands of classrooms will go out of date.
Beside this 12, there are at least 12 more solar system objects waiting in the wings to be invited in the planethood; according to new definition a planet is that an object massive enough to create gravity which has transformed it into a sphere and that it circles a star and not some other planet.
The new order listed in order of their proximity to the sun would be Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Charon and the provisionally named 2003 UB313.
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