2007-01-07 04:04:40 · 25 answers · asked by Fira Fitra 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
no, pluto is not a planet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto
on 24 august 2006, the international astronomical union reclassified pluto.
http://www.iau.org/fileadmin/content/pdfs/Resolution_GA26-5-6.pdf
pluto does orbit the sun, is ball-shaped and 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.
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.
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 same thing happened has happened before. in 1800, an astronomer found a body orbiting the sun between the orbits of mars and jupiter and thought it was a planet. astronomers finally stopped classifying them as planets after they found several other bodies with similar orbits, and no one 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
2007-01-07 05:39:45 · answer #1 · answered by warm soapy water 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
well, originally it was. Then some people theorized that it could be one of uranus's moon that stopped orbiting the planet and started orbiting the sun, thus becomng a planet. But scientists have recently classified poor little pluto as a dwarf planet, D: , which is not really a planet at all.
2007-01-07 12:26:37 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to the newest definition of a planet, no. It is now in a new category. T Think the category is called "Dwarf Planets" but I'm not totally certain on that.
2007-01-07 12:08:18 · answer #3 · answered by Pete D 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Pluto is a dog
2007-01-07 12:12:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It was, but a few months ago(I think) the scientists decided that it is not a planet anymore...
2007-01-07 12:08:04 · answer #5 · answered by natasa_boranovic 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
scientists no longer consider it a planet but u can still call it a planet if u want cuz u never no if theyll find out something that makes it a planet again
2007-01-07 12:07:34 · answer #6 · answered by Lola 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
well not anymore it is now in the catagory of a dawarf planet
like many others: jupiters moon,pluto,and some in the orians belt
2007-01-07 12:06:41 · answer #7 · answered by Dragonfire445644 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
not anymore, they recently changed their opinion and decided it isnt worthy of being a planet! kinda sucks really! Its kinda of like saying, sorry but your nose is a little out of place so your not a human being anymore!
2007-01-07 12:13:04 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Not one now according to the scientists.
2007-01-07 13:48:18 · answer #9 · answered by Infinity 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is if the majority of english speakers say it is. Scientists are smart, but they don't have a monopoly on our language.
2007-01-07 12:17:15 · answer #10 · answered by coconutmonkeybank 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋