The Pluto: The Creation Of Our Solar System

Pluto is unlike the other planets in that it has an icy surface instead of a rocky surface, like the inner 4 (terrestrial) planets, or a deep atmosphere, like the next 4 (gas giant) planets.

Made up of all the planets that orbit the sun, the Solar System has over 100 worlds. In addition to eight planets without Pluto and nine with Pluto, the Solar System also consist of gas, dust, minor planets,asteroids, and moons. Containing 98% of all the materials in the Solar System,

The International Astronomical Union decided that Pluto was too small to be a planet and created a new category to put it in, dwarf planets. Dwarf Planets are classified as “A) a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, B) has sufficient mass for it self- gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that is assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, C) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and D) is not a satellite”. The criteria for both planets and dwarf planets are very similar, though planets must be able to clear the neighbourhood around its orbit. This basically means that a planet must be able to complete a rotation around the sun without interfering with another planets orbit. Pluto is very close to Neptune so they had a chance to collide into each other. If you look at a visual it is clear that there orbital rotation paths intersect with each other at two locations. This is another reason why Pluto is no longer considered a planet.

In the outer limits of our solar system there is a planet unlike any other, Pluto. Pluto was discovered in February of 1930 by an American astronomer, Clyde Tombaugh. It is the only planet to have been discovered by an American. All though we have known of the existence of Pluto for over thirty years now, there are still many mysteries surrounding this celestial body. Being the farthest planet has made it difficult to study Pluto, Adding to the obscurity of this strange planet is that the capability to send spacecraft such distances has never been achieved. Through the wonders of science and astronomy, there are many things that can be determined, concluded, and hypothesized about this obscure planet.

thousands of small icy bodies orbit the sun. The planet appears to be typical of Kuiper Belt objects--only

Pluto should be considered a planet it’s not fair! According to, Charles Q. Choi, Space.com Contributor, Pluto has 5 moons. According to Nine Planets, Pluto has an atmosphere consisting of mainly nitrogen extending to 1,600 km above the surface. According to Business Insider, scientists estimate that smooth patch on Pluto is only about 100 million years old, as

Pluto was discovered by a man named Clyde Tombaugh, an american astronomer. Pluto got its name by the Roman god of the underworld. Pluto has only 5 planets and is the second dwarf planet from the sun. They explored/visited in

The discussion about Pluto’s status in our solar system is still in question. The definition of a planet is changing as society advances and as time passes. We used to believe that Pluto was a planet which orbits the sun, but in a weird way since it’s orbit is quite odd compared to other planets in our solar system. Pluto is different such that, it has five moons and crosses Neptune’s orbit. Not only does it do that, it is quite small in contrast to the other celestial body in our solar system. As society advances, we question the definition of a planet and Pluto’s status in our solar system. Our crave for knowledge and curiosity about what’s around us motivates us to explore the unknown. Our desire to learn more is due to the fact that people

Pluto by far was the least massive planet, with less than 5 percent of the mass of Mercury, the solar system’s next smallest planet. The orbit of Pluto is very flat from a perfect circle. In fact, Pluto spends 20 years of its 248 year orbit closer to Neptune than to the Sun. Pluto’s orbit is not only oblong, it tips more than 17 degrees from the plane of the solar system, a full of 10 degrees more than Mercury’s orbit.

It has been said that astronomy is unique among branches of magic in that we can work with and learn from muggles as much as our fellow wizards. As a muggleborn, coming to Hogwarts with something recognizable on the schedule, astronomy, has been nice in a world of new and un recognizable things, however exciting they may be. I distinctly remember getting a telescope for Christmas when I was eight years old, and spent hours talking to my dad and studying the sky. The sky does not change depending upon if you are a wizard or muggle, and we are all in pursuit of more information about the amazing universe we live in. However, there are a few factors that are different regarding wizarding astronomy than muggle astronomy. As wizards we can use magic and magical equipment to see farther and more clearly. We can use these unique tools for more accurate

Dwarf planets are celestial bodies that are in direct orbit of the Sun. 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.

5)Why do astronomers now label Pluto a “dwarf planet”? 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 belongs with Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, or the outer planets. In our solar system, there are two groups of planets called the inner planets, and the outer planets. The inner planets are the first four planets before the asteroid belt, while the outer planets are the ones after the asteroid belt. The asteroid belt is a region of space the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, which probably contains million of asteroids. It is where most of the asteroids in our solar system are found orbiting the sun. Although Pluto was a part of the outer planets, it was the only known planet that orbits mostly in the Kuiper belt. Beyond Neptune is a region full of icy bodies, known as the Kuiper belt. This is what made Pluto stands out, not to mention that it’s also a lot smaller than the other outer planets. This got some astronomers thinking about whether or not Pluto should really be considered a

Pluto has been considered a planet for an extremely long time, until that suddenly changed on August 24, 2006. The International Astronomers Union revised the definition of “planet” and altered it to fit three criteria.

For countless centuries humans have looked up at the sky and have wondered what is out there? As a member of the Planet Hunter Team, I believe that we help answer these types of questions. One of the many questions that we have been asked is, what is a planet? This question was one of many driving forces that made Pluto a dwarf planet, as stated in “When is a Planet not a Planet?” by David H. Freedman. But once again this question has appeared, as a result of our most recent discovery.