Top scientists and educators will convene in Maryland this summer to explore a basic, but controversial, question: What is a planet? The Great Planet Debate (GPD) conference includes two days (August 14-15) of scientific sessions to discuss and debate the processes leading to planet formation and the characteristics and criteria used to define and categorise planets.
A debate between Neil deGrasse Tyson and Mark Sykes, moderated by NPR's Ira Flatow, will take place starting at 4:30 pm EDT on Thursday and will be streamed live on the web.