is pluto a planet any more?

Answer 1

pluto is not a planet. pluto and charon are considered a binary system, but two small bodies orbit this system. they are called nix and hydra. this does not change anything about the solar system or pluto. it just corrects the mistake of classifying pluto as a planet initially.

http://www.iau.org/fileadmin/content/pdfs/Resolution_GA26-5-6.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto

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 so it is a dwarf planet.

this same thing has happened before. beginning in 1800, astronomers found a few bodies orbiting between the orbits of mars and jupiter, and they finally stopped calling them planets after the fourth discovery. astronomers then added numerals to the names, and pluto recently got its numeral. 150 years from now, no one will think of "134340 pluto" as a planet. very few will even know we classified it as a planet. "1 ceres" and "136199 eris" are other dwarf planets.

i have been waiting for this since i was about twelve. i feel somewhat satisfied. i knew that pluto didn't fit the pattern set by the major bodies in the solar system so it was an anomaly. it just felt illogical and "out of place". this was the right thing to do, believe me. i don't understand why so many are having such a problem with this.

i don't know how long this will drag on tho. many planetary scientists are not satisfied that the definition is rigorous enough.

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

The definition of a planet. Planets must meet these three criteria for any celestial body to be called a planet. It must: orbit the sun; have enough mass and 'self-gravity' to sustain a nearly round shape; and have 'cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit,' establishing an independent path as it circles the sun. Henceforth Pluto is deemed a 'dwarf planet.' Why would anyone want to take away the discovery of 'Planet X' From those who spent there lives searching, Exploring, And painstakenly studying in fine detail. For many years before his death, Percival Lowell dedicated his life to finding 'planet x.' He came very close when he made a rough calculation of the likely location of the speculated planet. He used a telescope located in Arizona to search for the unknown planet. But by the time of Lowell's death, in 1916, he had not found his Planet X. It was a dedicated amateur astronomer named Clyde Tombaugh, who carried on with lowell's work. And in 1930 found Pluto. This is History!

Answer 4

From its discovery by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930, Pluto was considered the ninth planet from the Sun. In the late 20th and early 21st century, many similar objects were discovered in the outer solar system, most notably the trans-Neptunian object Eris which is slightly larger than Pluto. In August of 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefined the term "planet", and classified Pluto, Ceres, and Eris as dwarf planets.[1] Pluto is also classified as the prototype of a family of trans-Neptunian objects.[2][3] After the reclassification, Pluto was added to the list of minor planets and given the number 134340.

Answer 5

Sadly, in August of 2006, Pluto was reclassified as a Dwarf Planet.

Answer 6

According to the International Astronomical Union, Pluto is now a "dwarf planet" and not a planet.

Answer 7

Not anymore, sadly.

Now all the Astronomy books and Solar System books have to be changed.

And that Magic School Bus episode is outdated.

Answer 8

Sadly no, but it will always be a planet to me.
It must be so lonely out there, being banned from the Milky Way clique.

Answer 9

Read the 300,000,000,000,000,000 other times this question has been asked. Either that, or pay attention to the news. This is getting tiresomely old.

Answer 10

it never was a planet