Should Pluto be a planet?

Question

Scientest say that Pluto shouldn't be a planet. What do you think?

Answer 1

From 1807 to 1846 there were 11 planets and when Neptune was discovered in 1846 there were 12, I can imagine the outcry when the number was slashed to 8 in the 1860s and Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta were reclassified as asteroids, But who remembers that now? Who even knows about it?

The moment we find a planet with life on it nobody will think about lifeless rocks on the fringes of our Solar System, our horizons will have got bigger and our attention been diverted.

Answer 2

Yeah, I think Pluto should be a planet, since it doesn't melt when it comes close to the sun and has a stable orbit around the sun, but it's just possible that it may be a huge asteroid. And, someone said that it was a planet before, so it should stay a planet? Then, every asteroid should be a planet since they were thought to be planets when they were discovered.

Overall: Yes, Pluto should be a planet, but keep your mind open. We need more discoveries to prove Pluto is not a planet.

Answer 3

Pluto should be a planet. The size doesn't really matter. But the thing is, some people say that pluto is just ice?!?!

Answer 4

Some astronomers argue that Pluto is not a planet. In particular, the views of 3 astronomers been presented extensively by the news media and in popular literature in recent years. However, they have yet to offer a simple, concise, generally applicable definition of what a planet is - they simply offer a list of comparisons between some of Pluto's properties and some of the properties of some of the other objects in the solar system. Such a relativistic definition of what qualities define a planet is cumbersome, arbitrary, and scientifically unsatisfying.

Answer 5

the international astronomical union defined three terms "planet", "dwarf planet", and "small solar system body". this does not change anything about the solar system or pluto. it just corrects the mistake of classifying pluto as a planet initially. i don't know how long this will drag on tho. many planetary scientists are not satisfied that the definition is not rigorous enough.


because pluto orbits the sun, is round, does not have an isolated orbit (a bunch of other similar bodies have similar orbits.), and is not a satellite it is a dwarf planet.

i have been waiting for this since i was about twelve. i feel somewhat satisfied. this was the right thing to do, believe me. i don't understand why so many are having such a problem with this.

(1) A "planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.

(2) A "dwarf planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, (c) has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite.

(3) All other objects orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as "small solar system bodies".


look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuiper_belt

Answer 6

yes, pluto has a moon. But then again its just as big as planet x

Answer 7

i think pluto should be a plant...i mean seriously,it was a planet b4,its like saying,i dont think a burrito should be known as a type of taco cause its soft. Thats just wrong.

plus...now they have to reprint every textbook known to man.
which will cost billions of dollars.

Answer 8

Since Pluto is the size of the moon Charon, we should consider Pluto as one of the moons of the planet Neptune.

Answer 9

No. It's just a Mickey Mouse planet

Answer 10

Yes....it orbits a "non planet" and has enough gravity to make it roughly round.