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The Great Pluto Debate: Why Pluto is No Longer Considered a Planet

In 2006, a heated contest emerged within the astronomical community at the International Astronomical Union meeting regarding Pluto's planetary status. Thanks to renowned astronomer Mike Brown, who authored "How I Killed Pluto, and Why it Had it Coming," the criteria for what constitutes a planet were redefined. Pluto, once beloved as the ninth planet, was demoted to "dwarf planet" because it failed to clear its orbit of other celestial objects. This article explores the definitions, debates, and surprising revelations surrounding Pluto's status in our solar system.

leandra-winters
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The Great Pluto Debate: Why Pluto is No Longer Considered a Planet

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Why Isn’t Pluto a Planet Anymore?

  2. Do they have something against Yellow Dogs or something? • Maybe he’s just a little too friendly?

  3. Fault of Mike Brown • One of most important planetary astronomers • Published book: How I Killed Pluto, and Why it Had it Coming. • Things came to a head at International Astronomical Union Meeting (IAU) in 2006 • Meeting had heated arguments and shouting matches • His young daughter didn’t like it either

  4. Why was this such a big Deal? • This is where you guys try to answer (not all at once, please!)

  5. We always knew something wasn’t quite right with Pluto. . . • Very small, (two thirds the size of Mercury) • Very far out • Orbit is much more elliptical • And not in the plane of the eight other planets • Not always the ninth planet – it was inside the orbit of Neptune for about 20 years (1979 to 1999)

  6. Lots of objects far out, comparable to Pluto

  7. And their orbits are different:

  8. If Pluto was going to be a planet, it was going to have a lot of company • Asteroid Ceres • Pluto’s own moon Charon • Eris (formerly Xena), Greek God of Discord, was the final straw, because it was actually bigger than Pluto • Would have meant between 3 and 20 new planets, possibly up to 200 later.

  9. How was our solar system formed?

  10. So What’s a Planet? • In 2006, astronomers voted on a planet’s definition: • Is in orbit around the Sun • Has enough mass so that it assumes a nearly round shape • Has cleared its orbit (of space objects)

  11. So What’s Pluto? Dwarf Planet: • Is in orbit around the Sun • Has enough mass so that it assumes a nearly round shape • Has NOT cleared its orbit (of space objects) • Is not a satellite

  12. What is The Kuiper Belt? Icy bodies in orbit past Neptune

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