CLEARING+THE+NEIGHBOURHOOD

...... "**Clearing the neighbourhood of its orbit**" is a criterion for a celestial body to be considered a planet in the Solar System. This was one of the criteria adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in its 2006 definition of planet.

In the end stages of planet formation, a planet will have "cleared the neighbourhood" of its own orbital zone, meaning __it has become gravitationally dominant__, and there are __ no other bodies of comparable size other than its own satellites or those otherwise __ __ under its gravitational influence. __ A large body which meets the other criteria for a planet but has not cleared its neighbourhood is classified as a __dwarf planet__.