Is pluto a planet?

Question

I'm doing a report for school.

Answer 1

it used to be, but no longer im afraid! this is due to the large number of objects with a similiar size to pluto further away from the sun, which would also need classifying as planets if pluto was. it has been reclassified as a dwarf planet because it fails to meet one of the 3 conditions now layed out for something to have planet status.

Answer 2

Pluto never fit in with the rest of the major planets to begin with, and astronomers didn't think it should be called a planet from the beginning. It's too small, its orbit is way out of the plane of the other planets and is so elliptical it's actually closer to the sun than Neptune for part of its year, it hasn't "cleared its orbit" of other bodies (a clumsy part of the new definition of planet, since by this reasoning Neptune hasn't cleared its orbit of Pluto either), and it really belongs to the Kuiper belt.

The new, improved solar system now has eight major planets, nicely divided into 4 small, rocky worlds close to the sun and 4 gas giants farther out. Beyond the major planets lie the Kuiper Belt objects and then the Oort Cloud, where comets come from.

Answer 3

As of last year, Pluto's official status has been changed to "dwarf planet." It's no longer considered a full-fledged planet.

Several reasons for that, mostly due to its small size, it's eccentric orbit...it's clear that it didn't form like the rest of the "official" planets, but is instead a refugee from the Kuiper belt that managed to get established closer in long after the other planets had formed.

Answer 4

Pluto is now a "Dwarf Planet", kind of like the runt brother. Along with pluto, 7 other dwarf planets have been discovered since the definition of that catagory.

Answer 5

no, They took Pluto's planet status away. They decided it was too small to be considered a planet now. After all the years it was a planet they should have left it alone.

Answer 6

Go see Wikipedia for the latest official definition of a planet. Also, it has a bit of history explaining why Pluto lost its status.

Answer 7

Scientists now say Pluto might be a comet trapped by Neptune's gravitational pull, because 1) Comet= cold, icy, rock ball, Pluto= cold, icy, rock ball, 2) It's orbit overlaps that of Neptunes and the Oort Cloud (contains comets), 3) about as big as a larger sized comet!!!

Answer 8

No. It used to be, but then many orbital "objects" were discovered that were actually bigger than Pluto, and a committee of "interested parties" decided it would be easier to disqualify Pluto than to add a dozen or more new "planets"!

Answer 9

No. last year well that's when i read about it in discover mag. they decided to drop Pluto do to its size but.. they found a norther planet farther out whit ch takes Pluto's spot they named it after Xena good luck with your report

Answer 10

Many scientist believe that it is not a planet because it doesn't meet the criteria. It is way smaller than the other planets, and it rotates differently. Scientists call it a dwarf planet, now.