what is pluto now?

Answer 1

Pluto is now a "dwarf planet."

The IAU members gathered at the 2006 General Assembly agreed that a "planet" is defined as 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 neighbourhood around its orbit.

This means that the Solar System consists of eight "planets" Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. A new distinct class of objects called "dwarf planets" was also decided. It was agreed that "planets" and "dwarf planets" are two distinct classes of objects. The first members of the "dwarf planet" category are Ceres, Pluto and 2003 UB313 (temporary name). More "dwarf planets" are expected to be announced by the IAU in the coming months and years. 


Pluto fails criterion c because it has many neighbors of similar mass.

Aloha

Answer 2

Pluto, the last planet to join the heavenly pantheon, became the first to leave it. The status of Pluto had been under discussion for some time, but with the discovery of 2003 UB313, nicknamed Xena, the question became acute, for it seemingly had as much right as Pluto to be called a planet.

On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union surprised the world by voting in a new definition of planet, one that would exclude Pluto and bring the total number down to eight. (There had previously been been strong speculation that the redefinition would bring the total up to 12 instead of down.)

Pluto was instead classified as a dwarf planet, along with Ceres and the aforementioned Xena. The main difference between a dwarf planet and the real thing is that the dwarf variety has not cleared the area of its orbital path.

This redefinition met with a wave of protests from those who wanted to see the ninth planet grandfathered in, including but not limited to supporters of the late Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto in 1930. His widow, however, said he would have been accepting of the IAU's decision since "he was a scientist" and understood that astronomers had to take into account newly discovered objects in the Kuiper Belt (where Pluto is located).

But opponents of Pluto's demotion remain unconsoled and have generated a thriving industry in T-shirts, mugs and other memorabilia. Among the many slogans of this movement was one which played on the mnemonic for the names of the erstwhile nine:

Answer 3

A dwarf planet, which means that it is massive enough to have it's gravity shape it into a sphere, but not massive enough to clear all the assorted space debris out of it's orbit.

For the record this is a bad and non reliable way to determine what is and isn't a planet as Earth has at least 4 other objects in it's orbit, and Uranus should be a dwarf planet as it can not clear Pluto from it's orbit. This is why Planetary Geologists are trying to get Pluto reclassified as a planet due to the spherical shape. The current definition was concocted by scientists who study planetary motion and were upset that they were not asked their input on the planet definition. There are currently, officially, 8 Planets and 4 Dwarf Planets in orbit around the sun.

Answer 4

We all grew up thinking that pluto was a planet, the scientist said that pluto was not longer a planets but forget the scientist they are no body to say what is a planet and what's not so to me pluto is just one of many weird thing out there...lol.. cheers

Answer 5

Now Pluto is a dwarf planet.

Answer 6

Pluto is actually a dwarf planet which is not counted in the terrestrial planets like earth ,mars ,etc or gas giants like Jupiter , Uranus ,Neptune

Answer 7

Pluto is what it has always been and nothing about it has changed. The information we have about it has changed and its status relative to our phraseology may have changed but Pluto is still what it has always been. A rose is a rose by any other name.

Answer 8

Pluto is no more a planet it is a small celestial body. It is a shame to lose pluto.

Answer 9

It's a Dwarf Planet, which they are refering to Plutonids now. Ceres, Pluto, and Xena (Now Eris) are all Plutonids.

Answer 10

well pluto is not a lanet any more due to some missing characteristics of being a planet.I saw it in the newspaper,it is now called a "dwarf".