Planets of the Hainish Cycle third planet of our solar system. Terrans are descendents of colonists from Hain. At some unspecified date, Terrans join the "League of All Worlds", which includes the Cetians and other peoples of Hainish descent. In "The Left Hand of Darkness", it is said that 'Hainish Normal' people were placed among Terra's own proto-hominid autochthones by the ancient Hainish 'colonizers'. After that initial contact with Hainish civilization Terra experiences two more cycles of isolation followed by the restoration of extraterrestrial contact and community with other worlds. The second period of contact with the interstellar Hainish community is the background for "The
IAU definition of planet IAU definition of planet The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined in August 2006 that, in the Solar System, a planet is a celestial body which: Among other things, this definition caused Pluto to no longer be a planet, a change from how it had been widely considered until that point. A non-satellite body fulfilling only the first two of these criteria (such as Pluto) is classified as a "dwarf planet". According to the IAU, "planets and dwarf planets are two distinct classes of objects". A non-satellite body fulfilling only the first criterion is termed a "small Solar System body" (SSSB).