2007-01-21 04:45:55 · 10 answers · asked by david g 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The other planets voted it out.
2007-01-21 04:49:09 · answer #1 · answered by Dastardly 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Not ALL scientific experts, astronomers agree that Pluto is NOT a planet. There was an international astronomical symposium held in Europe last year that rearranged the criteria that supposedly re-defined the definition of what a planet is, and the MAJORITY of scientists at this gathering decided that Pluto no longer fit these rules, so should no longer be considered a planet.
For much more information, go to the Space.com website & run a search on their site for a much more detailed explanation.
2007-01-21 04:58:30 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Pluto has been suspected of not being a planet because of its' mass and orbit. It appears to be a captured asteroid albeit a large asteroid. Clyde Tombaugh discovered pluto and at that time it was suspect. By the way are moon is considered to have been captured also. Its' orbit is continually moving away from earth so that in some milions of years will no longer be part of earth orbit. Picture an earth without a moon in the night sky, it will be an odd viewing. For more info goto science and select astromony and planets there is more concise info on pluto.
2007-01-21 05:11:41 · answer #3 · answered by meander 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
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 enuff. 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
2007-01-21 04:53:56 · answer #4 · answered by warm soapy water 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It is too small, if they left it a planet there for the issue would be raised, should they start naming other small things in space as well
2007-01-21 04:55:00 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Because it no longer fits the updated definition of planet. Thus, it is not a planet.
2007-01-21 04:50:04 · answer #6 · answered by eri 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
because it was to small to be a planet so the scientists deiced to make it a semi-planet
2007-01-21 04:54:25 · answer #7 · answered by chocomichie 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Because it was too small, so now it's a star. Hope that helps =]
2007-01-21 04:54:19 · answer #8 · answered by val 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
because its too small
2007-01-21 04:53:14 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
bigfoot's ball were bigger than it
2007-01-21 04:52:47 · answer #10 · answered by life_will_be_ok 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋