9, no 8! planets.

Pluto's Plight Now, in the latest blow, astronomers reported last week that they have found another dirty ice ball, about half the size of Pluto, that actually behaves more like a planet than Pluto does, with a circular orbit. The newly discovered Quaoar (pronounced KWAH-o-ar) lies among a multitude of small bodies in a region known as the Kuiper Belt that reflects the solar system as it was before tiny pieces of matter coalesced into bigger planets.

Astronomers predict that they will find up to 10 similar objects in the Kuiper Belt that are as large as or larger than Pluto. So unless we want to add 10 more planets to the elementary-school curriculum, we would be wise to downgrade Pluto to the distant iceball it is.