Pluto as a Dwarf Planet

Pluto still needs according to the International Astronomical Union to be able to clear debris from its orbit (Howell). This was Pluto’s downfall, Pluto was too small to be able to clear debris from its orbit. This debunked Pluto as a planet's taking away the planetary status of the ninth planet in our solar system. However, with Pluto meeting three out of the four criteria for keeping its planetary status astronomers classified Pluto as a dwarf planet now (May).

Many issues have arisen from the debate whether or not Pluto is a planet. Some astronomers say that Pluto should be classified as a “minor planet” due to its size, physical characteristics, and other factors. On the other hand, some astronomers defend Pluto’s planet status, citing several key features.

Pluto isn’t a planet for many reasons the main one being, it only follows two of the three criteria of being a planet. According to the article “Pluto: Planet or not?”, for Pluto to be a planet it needs to meet three pieces of criteria. In the article “Pluto: Planet or not?” it states that “Pluto meets two of these three criteria.” Therefore, Pluto should not be considered a planet because, it doesn't meet the criteria it needs to. Many scientist would agree that Pluto is considered a dwarf planet. “Pluto is a dwarf planet” Christensen wrote. It’s just plain and simple, Pluto is a dwarf planet, no doubt about it. There shouldn’t be any confusion about whether Pluto should be considered or not for many reasons. If it doesn’t meet all three

Astronomers now label Pluto as a “dwarf planet” because it does not meet all of the criteria to be a planet. It is also not alone in its orbit; it is part of a wide group of small-scale objects that have been detected revolving around the Sun beyond Neptune.

Pluto being a planet is a controversial topic all over the world, should Pluto be a planet? Or should we exclude Pluto from being a part of our solar system. Here are three agreements that could be made to support the fact that Pluto should never become a part of our solar system. There are three characteristics that an object in space must have to be classified a planet and there are three characteristics as well to be classified as a dwarf planet, a dwarf planet must be able to orbit the sun, just like all objects in our solar system; a dwarf planet has to be small enough for the mass to not be able to clear its neighborhood; also, the entail shape needs to be round. Now the criteria for a planet is roughly the same as a dwarf planet with the exception of one characteristic.

To be qualified as a planet and object must orbit a star, is not star-like in that it is undergoing internal nuclear fusion, and has a gravitational force that will allow it to retain a spherical shape. Pluto certainly fulfills these requirements, however, there are Kuiper objects that also meet the same criteria. These objects have been classified as minor planets and have been assigned a numerical designation. Despite all the argument for demoting Pluto to a minor planet, its status has remained the same, even if solely contributed to maintaining historical context.

In August 2006 pluto was downgraded to a dwarf planet and it is still considered to not be a planet. Do you think it should be considered a planet? Pluto should not be considered a planet in my opinion.

Outer space is a realm of new discoveries and possibilities. There is one particular planet in our solar system that is brimming with these possibilities. However, for nine years it has not actually been considered a planet. The “dwarf planet”, Pluto, has been overlooked and misrepresented in astronomy and planetary science. Since being demoted from planet status to dwarf planet status, little Pluto has raised some big questions about what defines a planet and what does not. In this paper, I will attempt to persuade you that Pluto should be promoted back to its original planet status. First, I will give you a brief history of Pluto, from its discovery to what prompted its reclassification. Next, I will explain the definition of a planet as given by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the definition’s flaws. Finally, I will discuss the recent discoveries of the New Horizons mission and how these new discoveries should lead to the reclassification of Pluto to its original planet status.

Once, Pluto was considered the ninth and most distant planet from our sun. Pluto was discovered by an American astronomer name Clyde Tombaugh in 1930. But before being discovered, an American astronomer name Percival Lowell was actually the first to caught hints of Pluto’s existence in 1905. He suggested that there was another world’s gravity that was tugging at the two planets, Neptune and Uranus, from beyond. It turns out that there was another planet, the smallest and ninth planet from the sun, Pluto. The now dwarf planet was named by an 11 year old girl from Oxford, England whose name was Venetia Katharine Douglas Phair or Venetia Burney. The astronomer did predict the planet’s location in 1915, but unfortunately he died without finding

Known as a dwarf planet, Pluto is in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond Neptune. It was the first discovered Kuiper belt object.

Did you know Pluto’s not a planet? Pluto is a dwarf planet. The astronomers are going to find out how Pluto became a dwarf planet.

Why Pluto Should be a Planet I think that pluto should be considered a planet. Was pluto not a planet once before? Why are literal balls of gas considered planets? Who gets to decide what “too small” actually means?

Pluto is very popular in the world and there is a lot of conversation on whether or not it should be considered a planet. Its size and unusual orbit are two factors that make it part of the dwarf family.

Today Pluto is now known as an icy gaseous white dwarf planet and is the second largest white dwarf planet with Eris being the largest. My submission will support my argument that Pluto should not be classified as a Planet or a Small Solar System Body, but a Dwarf Planet as classified in 2006, by the International Astronomical Union. First, the physical characteristics of Pluto support that Pluto has been properly reclassified as a dwarf planet. Pluto's density and size are much smaller than all other planets, as studies have confirmed that Pluto's width is 1582 miles long and the length is 1400 miles long and its mass is less than 0.024% of the planet earth.

In 2006, the IAU set a definition for a planet in the solar system as the following: is in orbit around the Sun, has sufficient mass to assume a hydrostatic equilibrium (or a nearly spherical shape) and has cleared the neighborhood around the object. Dwarf Planets passed two of the three necessary requirements of the planet test. One is that they are always in orbit around the Sun and the other is that they are nearly spherical in shape. However, they did not pass the test of clearing its neighborhood of any debris. Planets are able to clear smaller bodies near its orbit such as small asteroids through collision, capture or gravitational disturbance. Dwarf planets lack the mass to do so. As a result, they have a weak gravitational force that is unable to keep its orbital influence cleared from asteroids that float around in the Kuiper Belt territory.