Dwarf planet to gradually become tidally locked, such that it always presents the same face to its companion. An extreme example of this is the Pluto–Charon system, where both bodies are tidally locked to each other. Earth's Moon is also tidally locked, as are many satellites of the gas giants. The upper and lower size and mass limits of dwarf planets have not been specified by the IAU. There is no defined upper limit, and an object larger or more massive than Mercury that has not "cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit" would be classified as a dwarf planet. The lower limit
IAU definition of planet the 26th General Assembly, is: The IAU further resolves: The IAU also resolved that ""planets" and "dwarf planets" are two distinct classes of objects", meaning that dwarf planets, despite their name, would not be considered planets. Alan Stern, the lead scientist on NASA's robotic mission to Pluto, contended that Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune have not fully cleared their orbital zones, just like Pluto. Earth orbits with 10,000 near-Earth asteroids. Jupiter, meanwhile, is accompanied by 100,000 Trojan asteroids on its orbital path. Stern has asserted: "If Neptune had cleared its zone, Pluto wouldn't be there." Some astronomers counter this opinion