Is Pluto a Planet?
Short answer – No, Pluto is no longer a Planet. It is a dwarf Planet.
It was originally classified as a planet, Pluto is now considered the largest member of a distinct population called the Kuiper belt. Pluto, considered a planet for 76 years, was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.
What is a dwarf planet?
Pluto was found by Clyde W. Tombaugh in 1930. A dwarf planet, is a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity but has not cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals and is not a satellite. More explicitly, it has to have sufficient mass to overcome rigid body forces and achieve hydrostatic equilibrium.
What is a planet?
A planet is a large object such as Earth that orbits a star. It is smaller than a star, and it does not make light. Planets are ball-shaped (or spheres). Objects that orbit planets are called moons. Pluto used to be known as a planet, but in August 2006, a group of astronomers decided it should be called a dwarf planet instead. 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 neighbourhood around its orbit.
Pluto meet the first two conditions, but failed to meet the third condition, hence it is not a Planet. You can learn more about Pluto here at the wikipedia.
i can’t find why pluto is a dwarf planet
I really don’t get the controversy here. New information about the structure of our Solar system came to light and the scientific community adjusted categorization accordingly.This is and always has been the nature of Science. If Pluto were allowed the continued title of planet, then all the other icy, spherical chunks zipping around in the Kuiper Belt would also ultimately have to be named so. This argument has very little to do with actual science and more to do with people being bound to an idea. Just because Pluto was held as the ninth planet for the last eight decades doesn’t mean that that title was at all accurate. Nothing about Pluto has changed since its recategorization other than our false perception that everything we were taught as kids in school is fact. And, I must say, it is somewhat disturbing to me that people put up such a fight over what is obviously a natural scientific process.
pluto is a planet i think
learning about planets is hard for me. i find the news about Pluto confusing. where did that news came from?
No its not it was named a Dwarf planet in August 2006 by the international astronomical union. Pluto is to smalll to be called a real planet.
well 2006 in august a hole group of scientists called international astronomical union
actually it was demoted a dwarf planet in august 2005
you know what, i believe it is a planet. and it always will be a planet to me.
Pluto is not a planet, it should have never been called a planet, planets are totally different to Pluto, planets are planets, and Pluto is a dwarf PLANET.
Wait a minute, Pluto IS a planet?
I’m very confused, a dwarf planet is not a planet? Scientists probably shouldn’t have made that label up, its very confusing.
At least we live on our blue planet. Oh dear, saying blue makes it not a planet too.
Damn it, descriptive words should have never been invented, its pissing me off!
Is a dwarf person a real person?
Pluto is not a real planet to is a dwarf
pluto is not a planet it is a dwarf planet