do you think that pluto?

Question

should be a planet... if soo give reasons why?

Answer 1

The better question is what about the planets they found farther out in the galaxy than Pluto. Why don't we know their names, and why aren't they taught in schools?

They can take away our little Pluto, but not give us any new planets in return? Boo!

Answer 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto

no

pluto does orbit the sun, is ball-shaped, is not a satellite, but it does not have an isolated orbit (a bunch of other similar bodies have similar orbits.) so it is not a planet.

i have been waiting for this since i was about ten when i learned 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. i feel somewhat satisfied, but i don't know how long this will drag on tho. many planetary astronomers are satisfied that the definition is rigorous enuf. i can accept that the definition is flawed, but i can not accept that "134340 pluto" is a planet.

this was the right thing to do, believe me. this does not change anything about pluto or the solar system. this just corrects the mistake of classifying pluto as a planet initially.

this same thing happened has happened before. in 1800, an astronomer found a body orbiting between the orbits of mars and jupiter and thought it was a planet. astronomers soon found several others and finally stopped classifying them as planets. no on thinks ceres, pallas, juno, and vesta are planets today.

many astronomers consider pluto and charon to be a binary system, but two small bodies orbit that system. they are called nix and hydra.

incidentally, "134340 pluto" was never a moon of neptune. neptune did capture triton. this is why triton has a retrograde orbit

Answer 3

No i dont. With a great deal of respect for Pluto,Pluto has always been the odd one out in the solar system even before it was decided that it should be classified as a dwarf planet. Pluto has the most eccentric orbit of all the planets in the solar system. Its orbit takes it to 49.5 AU (7.4 billion kilometers) at its farthest point from the Sun. And its orbit takes it as close as 29 AU (4.34 billion kilomters) to the Sun.

What this means is that Pluto's orbit draws within the orbit of Neptune on its way around the sun. Pluto's orbit and its size were 2 of the main reasons why scientists decided to question pluto status. Way beyond the orbit of pluto is an area known as the keiper built. this is an area which is made of hundreds of large bodies. Its very similar to the asteroid built which lies between mars and jupiter. Many of the bodies located in the keiper built contain bodies the size of pluto and some even larger that. In 2003 scientists discovered a large body beyond the orbit of pluto. This body was larger than pluto and was named 2003 ub313 later officially named Eris. Its was this discovery which put the reason to reclassify objects beyond doubt.

If clyde tombaugh, the man who discovered pluto in 1930 had known about the existance of the kuiper belt chances are he wouldnt have classified pluto as a planet. If pluto had kept its classification as a planet in 30 years time the solar system could have 20+ planets in it. Eris isnt going to be the last body with a size and orbit to be discovered. In my humble opinion there are going to be others. Already there are around 5 or 6 potential candudates with the possibility of being classed as a dwarf planet.

A dwarf planet is defined as an object which:
(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 neighbourhood around its orbit; and
(d) is not a satellite

A planet is defined as a body which:
(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;

Defintions of planets and dwarf planets referenced from the International Astronomical Union

Answer 4

no i dont think because pluto and charon are the smallest planets or moons in our solar system so they must have been escaped moons from neptune and also it dousn't go round the sun the same type as other planets which is my biggest proof

Answer 5

No. It is too small and its orbit is too eccentric and too inclined compared to the other planets.

Answer 6

Yes, because that's what I was taught growing up in school! I'm not changing my mind now!

Answer 7

Yeah why not.