How can one small group of individuals say... 'Pluto is no longer a planet'?

Question

Come on.... for as longs as most of us can remember its always been a planet since records began, so what gives these people the right over billions to change its status! They cant be that clever if they think it will actually catch on!

Answer 1

I did a degree in Astrophysics, and we were told then that Pluto is not technically a planet, but the innermost object of a group of asteroids at the edge of the solar system, called the Kuiper Belt. Objects in the Kuiper Belt are defined by their orbit, which has a ratio of 3:2 with that of Neptune.

It's clear that this decision about Pluto has been brewing for a long time, and it is important for the astronomical community to have an exact classification as to what is a planet, especially since we are discovering so many extra-solar planets these days. If more people were asked about Pluto, shown the facts, and given the alternatives, I think they would probably agree that Pluto should fall into a different category from the other 8 planets - but explaining the situation to so many people isn't really possible.

I feel saddest for all the mnemonics used to remember the names of the planets, as they all have to be corrected now!

Answer 2

when do your records start, it wasn't discovered until 1930! We have been adding and subtracting "planets" from our solar system for msot of the century, so that these people, who know a lot and weren't appointed lightly should set some guidlines is something of a good idea. and billions of people? they were told it's a planet 76 years ago, and how many of these billions have actually seen Pluto? Now they're being told it isn't, it hasn't changed, but what we call a planet has, and when you think of the dozens of round objects circling the sun perhaps it is a good idea we set some boundaries.

It's a chunk of rock, it has no right to being a planet, we define the names in our solar system until someone says we can't. If we were to accept Pluto as a planet you would be adding one, two or as many as five new planets to the solar system, which I think you would have trouble with also. Hard as it may seem we don't have an accurate number of everything in our solar system and we're finding more every year, there is no time when we can say everything up till that point has been "discovered" and no changes after that date.

Answer 3

I don't think Pluto has been a planet since 'records began' I think it was only discovered a few decades ago!

It was always called into question as to whether it was a planet or not, as it has such an erratic gravitational circuit round the sun (sometimes it is even closer to the sun than Neptune!) and also, due to its suspected smallness.

So I guess now they have finally decided that the initial classification of planet is wrong. It doesn't really make that much difference at the end of the day, it'll still be doing its own thing out there, regardless of what we call it!

Answer 4

The astrological society are a group of astrologers who are allegedly the foremost authority on anything astrological.

Due to the discovery of a tenth planet in the solar system (Xena) there has been some doubt as to what differentiates a planet from an asteroid. That particular group of scientists have given guidelines as to how to classify planets which put Pluto, Xena into dwarf planet status. It has recently come to light that Earth and Neptune also fail to meet the new criterion. As Xena and Pluto still haven't been downgraded to the asteroid classification, I don't personally understand why the new dwarf planet classification was required.

Answer 5

The International Astronomical Union is the body in charge of naming all astronomical objects and is made up of professional astronomers.

The classification has been changed to reflect recent improvements in our understanding of the origins of the our solar system and the objects within it.

Of course people will still tend to refer to Pluto as a planet and the classification has only changed it to being called a dwarf planet. Changing it's classification is an emotive subject, even in the astronomical community, which was divided on the issue, which was why the decision was so controversial. But it is difficult to justify giving Pluto the status of a planet and refusing it to 2003 UB 313, which is a bigger object.

Answer 6

Pluto never was a planet.
When they discovered it in 1930, they just got a bit excited, and they made a mistake about how big it was. They wanted one object that would explain certain anomalies in the solar system, but there wasn't one, just a load of debris out on the edge of the system that never collected together to make a real planet. Pluto was one of the larger pieces, but it was not what they thought they had found.
Come now, how many of us would even know Pluto existed unless a small group of people had told us so. There are people still alive who were alive before it was know of. No one has ever seen it in the sky. It's not even got a proper name(I think it should be Dis if it was a planet). It is a fifth the size of our moon. AND it is not even recognised in traditional astronomy.
I am in total agreement with its disqualification.

Answer 7

You cannot call international astronomic comite as a small group. Since before '70s people now about discrepancies about Pluto, discrepancies about its moon size, odd orbit (different from all others) and its core not being like its precedent friends (Gas-Rock), but science took too long to apply right decision.

Pluto have no coditions to be classified as a planet of our solar system. (or they should change rules to insert another possible candidates too).
Science have dogmas and they must be changed. Like Round earth or humans flying.

Views must be changed face new discoveries. Humans does not have complete knowledge about everything. They need learn and adapt older concepts. Admit errors isn't weak link, but strongest one.

Pluto was demoted due theory about solar system creation - How planets are created around a star. Pluto is just a traveller caught within perfect adjust of Sun+Planets gravity.

Answer 8

In short, because they are astrophysicists and astronomers. They find and explore these objects, and thus get to name and categorise them.

The reaction from the media to this long-needed decision has been irritating. The implication that this was a whimsical or pedantic decision is so very far from the truth, and only serves to perpetuate the general lack of understanding and appreciation of the scientific method. Science demands strict and clear definitions; 'planet' now has one.

If it concerns you, describe Pluto however you wish. I find it quite amusing that you and many others seem to believe they have some sort of ownership of an object that they would know nothing about but for the work of astronomers, and are now offended by attempts to provide clarification on what has been discovered.

Answer 9

Pluto was not a planet since records began, It was called a planet prematurely. There was no set criterion for what a planet was and was not. It was only since the discovery of similar objects to Pluto (and the very likely possibility that there are many more) that they denied it as a planet. Did you know that many moons in our solar system bigger than Pluto? There are also Asteroids that orbit the sun that are much bigger than Pluto? We couldn't call those objects planets, just like we can't call certain former planets, planets just because we are used to having them called so.

Answer 10

Well, I guess it's because it was a small group of people that called it a planet in the first place (not an earthly consensus as you imply). While Pluto does share many of the characteristics of a planet, the subsequent discovery of many similar types of objects at the same distance away, some half the size of Pluto, mean it's difficult to classify Pluto a planet and the others not.

What's in a name, anyhow?