A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor a stellar remnant. The Solar System has eight (pictured): four terrestrial planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars; and four giant planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The term "planet" at first included the Sun, Moon and the five naked-eye planets that move across the background of the stars; they were seen as having associations with the gods. Copernicus theorized the Earth was a planet and, like the others, orbited the Sun. "Planet" came to include many objects, such as moons, within and beyond the Solar System. The International Astronomical Union in 2006 defined a planet in the Solar System to have cleared its neighborhood of other bodies, and that extrasolar planets should orbit stars and not be large enough to support deuterium fusion. Many planetary scientists, though, still apply the word "planet" more broadly, including dwarf planets, planetary-mass moons, rogue planets and brown dwarfs.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1958:

English composer Benjamin Britten's one-act opera Noye's Fludde was premiered at the Aldeburgh Festival. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noye%27s_Fludde

1981:

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the first operational aircraft to be designed around stealth technology, made its maiden flight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_F-117_Nighthawk

1994:

The Troubles: Ulster Volunteer Force members attacked a crowded bar in Loughinisland, Northern Ireland, with assault rifles, killing six people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loughinisland_massacre

2009:

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA's first mission to the Moon in more than ten years, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Reconnaissance_Orbiter

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

savour: 1. (countable) An aroma or smell. 2. (uncountable) The quality which the sense of taste detects; also (countable), a specific flavour or taste, especially one different from the predominant one. 3. (countable, chiefly in the negative) An appealing or appetizing flavour, especially one which is savoury or strong. 4. (figurative) 5. (countable) A distinctive sensation like a flavour or taste, or an aroma or smell. 6. (countable) A particular quality, especially a small amount of it; a hint or trace of something. 7. (countable, chiefly in the negative) A quality which is appealing or enjoyable; merit, value. 8. (countable, archaic) A reputation. 9. (uncountable) Enjoyment or taste for something; appreciation; pleasure; relish; (countable) an instance of this. 10. (uncountable, obsolete) Knowledge; understanding. [...] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/savour

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I have no patience for churches that evangelize aggressively. I have no interest in being instructed in what I must do to be saved. I prefer vertical prayer, directed up toward heaven, rather than horizontal prayer, directed sideways toward me. I believe a worthy church must grow through attraction, not promotion. I am wary of zealotry; even as a child I was suspicious of those who, as I often heard, were “more Catholic than the pope.” If we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, we must regard their beliefs with the same respect our own deserve.   --Roger Ebert https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roger_Ebert