The problem with allowing just anything in the Oort cloud into the planet club is that probably hundreds of objects in the Cloud eventually will be discovered that will meet Chuck's definition. Then it becomes rediculous to name the planets -- you'd be receiting all day. As far as Neptune is concerned, extraordinary evidence was involved in its discovery. It was the first planet to be found by something like our modern system of detecting extrasolar planets by the wobbling they cause in their stars. John Couch Adams, an English mathematician, predicted Neptune's existence because of the pull of its gravity on Uranus' orbit. He even calculated the probable position but the royal astronomer did not follow up quickly enough to discover Neptune. Meanwhile, a French mathematician, Urbain Leverrier, published a prediction of his own and got German astronomers to look for the planet -- and they quickly found it. Iinformation about it is available at this web site: http://www.u-net.com/ph/naw96/discover.htm. Interesting discussion -- Joe