The International Astronomical Union's 2,500 astronomers (representing 75 countries) gathered to decide the fate of Pluto and the results are in. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) voted to demote Pluto from the ranks of the solar system's now 8 planets. The reason Pluto got demoted is because Pluto no longer fits the newly ratified definition of a planet. The new definition states that a planet is “a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a ...nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.” Pluto is disqualified because it does not clear the neighborhood around its orbit since its orbit overlaps with its much larger neighbor Neptune. Instead, Pluto will be classified as a dwarf planet and be classified with the other dwarf planets.
The International Astronomical Union's 2,500 astronomers (representing 75 countries) gathered to decide the fate of Pluto and the results are in. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) voted to demote Pluto from the ranks of the solar system's now 8 planets. The reason Pluto got demoted is because Pluto no longer fits the newly ratified definition of a planet. The new definition states that a planet is “a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a ...nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.” Pluto is disqualified because it does not clear the neighborhood around its orbit since its orbit overlaps with its much larger neighbor Neptune. Instead, Pluto will be classified as a dwarf planet and be classified with the other dwarf planets.
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