Pluto loses status as a planet

[Kardan]

thats stupid, it revloves around the sun, therefor it is a planet...

Wow therefore we have thousands of planets if that's your theory

You've got the Asteroid belt, the Kuiper thingy... they all revolve round the sun.

[RedStratocas]

Planets orbit in a circle .. pluto orbits in an oval shape so they said its not a planet.
Hmmm gd way to win bets against people who dont know about the 8 planet thing

That isnt why they demoted it though, its because it wasent big enough and it was just a big ball of ice or something. So if it was a planet, theyd have to let like 5 others in, because they all fit under the same definition as pluto

[Herman]

I think it's stupid. Now all textbooks and science books on planets are invalid and everything has to be changed. It's confusing the learning process in schools. Why can't they just leave it as it is? They're wasting paper on new books. It's simple pointless.

[FrozenWhisper]

I think it's stupid. Now all textbooks and science books on planets are invalid and everything has to be changed. It's confusing the learning process in schools. Why can't they just leave it as it is? They're wasting paper on new books. It's simple pointless.

What she said ^^^

[Ryan+Joe]

What she said ^^^

herman is a he

[Jesus-Egg]

Here's how it all shakes out. The International Astronomical Union has decided that, to be called a planet, an object must have three traits. It must orbit the sun, be massive enough that its own gravity pulls it into a nearly round shape, and be dominant enough to clear away objects in its neighborhood.

To be admitted to the dwarf planet category, an object must have only two of those traits -- it must orbit the sun and have a nearly round shape. And no, moons don't count as dwarf planets. In addition to Pluto, Ceres and 2003 UB313, the astronomical union has a dozen potential "dwarf planets" on its watchlist.

What's to become of the other objects in our solar system neighborhood, the ones that are not planets, not dwarf planets and not moons? The organization has decided that most asteroids, comets and other small objects will be called "small solar-system bodies."

Even before the discovery of Xena, not all was calm in the planetary world. There was debate after Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930. With its small size, distant location and odd orbit, some questioned whether Pluto was really a planet or just an icy remnant of the planet-forming process.

That issue has been resolved by the International Astronomical Union. Among those most keenly following the debate -- Mike Brown, who has been awaiting word on Pluto and the object he found, Xena.

"I'm of course disappointed that Xena will not be the tenth planet, but I definitely support the IAU in this difficult and courageous decision," said Brown. "It is scientifically the right thing to do, and is a great step forward in astronomy."

Although the revamping of our solar system might seem unsettling, it's really nothing new. In fact, when Ceres was first discovered in 1801, it was called a planet, as were several similar objects found later. But when the count kept on growing, astronomers decided "enough is enough," and they demoted Ceres and its siblings, placing them in a new category, called asteroids.

So basically, they've made an official definition of what a planet is, and because Pluto only has 2 of the 3 characteristics, it will be known as a "dwarf planet", along with Ceres and Xena.

I think it's stupid. Now all textbooks and science books on planets are invalid and everything has to be changed. It's confusing the learning process in schools. Why can't they just leave it as it is? They're wasting paper on new books. It's simple pointless.

Would you rather learn the names of 8 planets, or of 50+ planets? Surely it's less confusing placing Pluto in the new category of dwarf planets, than going to school one day and there are 9 planets, then a few days later there are 12, then there are 15, then 20, then 25, etc and you've never even heard of these objects that they're calling planets!

[Chaz]

Oh well, thats one less planet to revise for huh?

[amateur]

was my favourite plant lol. ]:

[laurenx]

OH no.

[Herman]

What she said ^^^

herman is a he

What he said. ): -offended- lmao. kidding.