2007-01-11 06:19:53 · 8 answers · asked by root_beer54 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Pluto is not a planet anymore. It was downgraded to a dwarf planet in the summer of 2006 and it now joins Eris and Ceres as dwarf planets. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded it specifically on August 24, 2006.
2007-01-11 06:48:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not a planet and it never should have been called a planet to begin with. This isn't the first time a correction like this has had to be made. Ceres was discovered in 1801, orbiting between Mars and Jupiter (which, for reasons I won't get into, many people had expected there to be a planet between those two). They called it a planet for quite a while (I don't remember how long). But soon more of these "planets" were found in pretty much the same orbit. It was also discovered that Ceres was pretty tiny. Soon Ceres and its new friends were reclassified as "minor planets" and today we know them as asteroids.
Same thing happened with Pluto. When it was first discovered in 1930, people were excited, partly because some had thought there should be a planet beyond Neptune (turns out their calculations were wrong, another long story I won't get into). This time, however, it was decades before other objects were found in pretty much the same place as Pluto (which makes Pluto's discovery all the more impressive). Now we call Pluto and its friends "dwarf planets", although some (like me) have been calling Pluto a Kuiper Belt Object (just like the asteroid belt, but made up of comets instead of asteroids) for years. Just like there are millions of asteroids, there are millions (maybe even billions) of Kuiper Belt Objects, and if we called each of them a planet, well, I'd hate to have to memorize all those names!
2007-01-11 15:41:39 · answer #2 · answered by kris 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pluto's official status as a planet has been a constant subject of controversy, fueled by the past lack of a clear definition of planet, since at least as early as 1992, when the first Kuiper Belt Object, (15760) 1992 QB1, was discovered. Since then, further discoveries intensified the debate in the 21st century The debate came to a head in 2006 with an IAU resolution that created an official definition for the term "planet". According to this resolution, there are three main conditions for an object to be considered a 'planet':
The object must be in orbit around the Sun.
The object must be massive enough to be a sphere by its own gravitational force. More specifically, its own gravity should pull it into a shape of hydrostatic equilibrium.
It must have cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.
Pluto fails to meet the third condition
2007-01-11 16:28:48 · answer #3 · answered by Felton E 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it used to be until August 24, 2006 when scientists found out it was too small to be a real planet so now it's a dwarf planet. How sad for Pluto.. XD
2007-01-11 19:23:25 · answer #4 · answered by luchia1307 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pluto is a very large rock orbiting the Sun. Until last year, it was a "planet". At the IAU conference it was confirmed as a "planet", something round and large that goes around the Sun. Then they reversed themselves and declared it a "dwarf planet", using arbitrary rules they decided to apply. Next conference they may change their minds again. Meanwhile, Pluto continues to be a very large rock going around the Sun.
2007-01-11 15:03:48 · answer #5 · answered by skepsis 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Pluto got plutoed
2007-01-11 15:12:27 · answer #6 · answered by Quetzalcotl 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope, dwarf planet now. Also spawned a new phrase "to pluto" something is to demote its importance or stature.
2007-01-11 15:06:12 · answer #7 · answered by mizkc 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope. It's a dwarf planet.
2007-01-11 14:48:32 · answer #8 · answered by smartypants 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋