2006-10-29 02:19:43 · 8 answers · asked by moombaziebo 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto
pluto does orbit the sun, is ball-shaped, does not have an isolated orbit (a bunch of other similar bodies have similar orbits.), and is not a satellite so it is not a planet. this does not change anything about the solar system or pluto. it just corrects the mistake of classifying pluto as a planet initially.
many astronomers consider pluto and charon to be a binary system, but two small bodies orbit that system. they are called nix and hydra.
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 "out of place". now that astronomers have found hundreds of other bodies with similar orbits, classifying "134340 pluto" as a planet is even more irrational. this was the right thing to do, believe me.
incidentally, "134340 pluto" was never a moon of neptune. neptune did capture triton. this is why triton has a retrograde orbit.
2006-10-29 02:57:21 · answer #1 · answered by warm soapy water 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You'd be surprised how many people , when you mention Pluto, think your talking about mickey mouse's dog!..Pluto and Charon are probably ejected moons of Neptune!.Their orbits are what is known as 'very high to the plane of the eclliptic' or eccentric, making them very unplanet like!..What are they if not planets?.answer...Minor planets!..Lots of 'em too, even some asteroids like Ceres are big enough to qualify,The only ones really kicking up a stink about Pluto/Charon are American astronomers and historians because Pluto/charon was discovered by the venerable Clyde Tombaugh and was declared to be a planet!..Maybe they have a case!
2006-10-29 03:13:26 · answer #2 · answered by paranthropus2001 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Personally, I think the International Astronomical Union (IAU) was wrong. Pluto orbits the Sun. It has three moons. It's a planet.
However, the IAU is the organization that makes these classifications. And, the IAU decided that Pluto was no longer a planet. Instead, they decided to classify it as a "dwarf planet".
See the details below.
RESOLUTION 5A
The IAU therefore resolves that "planets" and other bodies in our Solar System, except satellites, be defined into three distinct categories in the following way:
(1) A "planet" [footnote 1] 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 neighbourhood 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 [footnote 2] , (c) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite.
(3) All other objects [footnote 3] except satellites orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as "Small Solar-System Bodies".
Footnote 1: The eight "planets" are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Footnote 2: An IAU process will be established to assign borderline objects into either dwarf planet and other categories.
Footnote 3: These currently include most of the Solar System asteroids, most Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), comets, and other small bodies.
RESOLUTION 6A
The IAU further resolves:
Pluto is a "dwarf planet" by the above definition and is recognized as the prototype of a new category of trans-Neptunian objects.
2006-10-29 04:14:16 · answer #3 · answered by Otis F 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
First of all this happened several months ago. Second of all its not a question of agreeing or disagreeing with it. It is no longer a planet because it does not fit the criteria of what constitutes a planet whether you agree with it or not. End of story. Get over it.
2006-10-29 02:24:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't. Pluto is still a planet in everybody's minds, and will continue to be, because most schools can't afford new textbooks.
2006-10-29 03:53:14 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
People found a bigger hunk of rock in space(its a planet now)...so they decided Pluto is not a planet...
2006-10-29 02:57:56 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
So the scientists and astronomers decide that its not a planet any more. What took them so long? They also say soya beans are not as nutritous as they thought and the cholestrol in eggs is not really harmful.So what is the truth???
2006-10-29 05:43:40 · answer #7 · answered by Gobind T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who said I agree
2006-10-29 05:33:01 · answer #8 · answered by Missy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋