Geophysical Classification of Planets, Dwarf Planets, and Moons

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive geophysical classification system for planets, dwarf planets, and moons based on mass and composition, enabling comparison across Solar System and exoplanetary bodies.

Contribution

It presents a new planetary mass scale and composition codes that systematically classify celestial bodies by their physical characteristics.

Findings

Provides a standardized classification system for planetary bodies.

Enables comparison between Solar System objects and exoplanets.

Flexible system adaptable to additional physical or biological codes.

Abstract

A planetary mass scale and a system of composition codes are presented for describing the geophysical characteristics of exoplanets and Solar System planets, dwarf planets, and spherical moons. The composition classes characterize the rock, ice, and gas properties of planetary bodies. The planetary mass scale includes five mass classes with upper and lower mass limits derived from recent studies of the exoplanet mass radius and mass density relationships and the physical characteristics of planets, dwarf planets, and spherical moons in the Solar System. The combined mass and composition codes provide a geophysical classification that allows for comparison of the global mass and composition characteristics of exoplanets with the Solar System's planets, dwarf planets, and spherical moons. The system is flexible and can be combined with additional codes characterizing other physical, dynamical, or biological characteristics of planets.