pluto was the smallest planet but dont give u a right to take it off
2007-10-15 09:31:43 · 8 answers · asked by Brittany H 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Thursday, 24 August 2006
Pluto's status has been contested for many years. It is further away and considerably smaller than the eight other "traditional" planets in our Solar System and Pluto is smaller even than some moons in the Solar System.
Also since the early 1990s, astronomers have found several objects of comparable size to Pluto in an outer region of the Solar System called the Kuiper Belt. The critical blow for Pluto came with the discovery of an object designated 2003 UB313. After being measured with the Hubble Space Telescope, it was shown to be some 3,000km (1,864 miles) in diameter, bigger than Pluto. Both objects are termed dwarf planets, along with the biggest asteroid in the Solar System, Ceres and Plutos twin or 'moon'.
2007-10-15 09:54:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
The International Astronomic Union voted to demote it to the status of "dwarf planet". I agree with this. I have just received my November 07 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine and it has a picture of Earth and Pluto as well as several other Kuiper objects all placed side by side together in the same picture. Man, Pluto really really looks small, I mean so little that it is no wonder that it is not a planet. Go to Barnes and Noble and look at it in the November issue if you don't believe me.
2007-10-15 17:54:48 · answer #2 · answered by Sciencenut 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
August 24, 2006
The International Astronomical Union redefined "planet":
1. Massive enough to be spherical
2. Orbits the sun (not another planet)
3. Has cleared its orbit of debris
Pluto passes on #1 and 2, but fails #3 - Pluto is a member of the Kuiper Belt, filled with thousands of small objects, so Pluto hasn't cleared its orbit of debris.
The IAU has final authority to name or reclassify astronomical objects. It was formed in 1919, and it unites national astronomical societies from around the world.
It also acts as the internationally recognized authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies (stars, planets, asteroids, etc.) and any surface features on them, and is a member of the International Council for Science (ICSU).
2007-10-15 18:32:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Last year, and the reason is that it didn't make sense any more. There are other bodies out there that are larger than Pluto (Pluto itself is smaller than the Earth's moon) so we either had to have a solar system which could have ended up with hundreds of planets, or we had to demote Pluto to lesser status than the other 8 planets.
2007-10-15 16:39:54 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I may not have had the right, but apparently the International Astronomical Union did.
This happened in the summer of 2006.
2007-10-15 16:37:28 · answer #5 · answered by BNP 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it was to small to remain at planatary status.
a size was set for the minimum of how small a planet can be if it is to smaller than that size it can not be a planet.
2007-10-15 16:35:51 · answer #6 · answered by devg55 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It turned out to be much smaller than originally thought. It is smaller than the Moon.
2007-10-15 16:55:01 · answer #7 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It was an international conspiracy against dogs.
how many planets are named for Disney dogs? one, no, wait... NONE!
Contact your local Kennel Club!
Don't stand for this blatant anti-caninism!
2007-10-15 17:09:00 · answer #8 · answered by Faesson 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋