What happened to Pluto?

Unbirthday · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 1:47 pm

During elementary school, middle school, and most of high school I knew Pluto to be our last/or ending planet on the string of planets that makes up our solar system.

The last I heard Pluto was no longer considered our newest/most recent planet.
What happened to cause this? Why is it no longer part of our solar system? What is the reasoning they have for no longer including it?

Adbot · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 1:47 pm

CreepyPirate · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 2:00 pm

The Size, it isn't big enough to be considered a planet.

To be fair, the mass majority still call it a planet, i don't think that's going to change.

Alex · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 2:36 pm

It isn't that much smaller than Mercury, though.

Unbirthday · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 2:59 pm

CreepyPirate wrote:

The Size, it isn't big enough to be considered a planet.

To be fair, the mass majority still call it a planet, i don't think that's going to change.

The size? Why didn't this come into play when the originally discovered it? Have the rules changed still its' discovery?

Hmm. . . I personally think it's unprofessional to claim a planet then to declaim it, but that's just me.

Anubis · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 3:50 pm

I think it's because of the fact it's moon, Chiron, is roughly the same size of it, but i don't know. :$

Unbirthday · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 4:04 pm

Anubis wrote:

I think it's because of the fact it's moon, Chiron, is roughly the same size of it, but i don't know. :$

So Pluto has enough gravity to sustain a moon it's own size?

Adbot · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 4:04 pm

Evelyn · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 4:10 pm

Maybe Pluto and Charon orbit each other around an axis somewhere in between them.

Unbirthday · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 4:19 pm

Cliff Dude wrote:

Maybe Pluto and Charon orbit each other around an axis somewhere in between them.

Is that possible? I mean, I don't think you would post that if you didn't think it was possible, but is it really logical?

Also if they do orbit an axis between, then are they just orbiting this axis and still orbiting the sun? Two orbits, in one?

CreepyPirate · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 4:29 pm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14489259/

There we go. It's now a dwarf planet.

imac · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 5:51 pm

It is not considered a planet because of all the space junk (broken planets etc.) are all about the same size so pluto would be considered just a piece of planet or asteroid

hummerwar921 · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 6:52 pm

We live on Polluto.

And, this is old news. Pluto is a dwarf planet, and was very far away from our solar system.

Unbirthday · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 7:14 pm

hummerwar921 wrote:

We live on Polluto.

And, this is old news. Pluto is a dwarf planet, and was very far away from our solar system.

What do you mean we live on Polluto?

Shane · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 7:58 pm

It was demoted to a dwarf planet. The reason being is because there's other objects out there in the Kuiper Belt (region that Pluto is in) that are infact bigger than Pluto and do orbit the sun. An example of such a body Eris which orbits the Sun as well. So a decision had to be made, do we keep adding these objects in the Kuiper belt or do we not?

Even here's there's some controversy. Do we call them Dwarf Planets or class them as Kuiper Belt Objects?

Dwarf Planets have to have enough mass that they become rounded. They also have to have not cleared out their orbits of debris.

So in a nutshell 3 Dwarf Planets: Pluto, Eris, Ceres (asteroid in the belt)

There are other Kuiper Belt Objects such as Quoar. It's quite confusing but it had to be done...

PS I like this stuff.

Tal Ormanda · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 8:14 pm

Shane wrote:

It was demoted to a dwarf planet. The reason being is because there's other objects out there in the Kuiper Belt (region that Pluto is in) that are infact bigger than Pluto and do orbit the sun. An example of such a body Eris which orbits the Sun as well. So a decision had to be made, do we keep adding these objects in the Kuiper belt or do we not?

Even here's there's some controversy. Do we call them Dwarf Planets or class them as Kuiper Belt Objects?

Dwarf Planets have to have enough mass that they become rounded. They also have to have not cleared out their orbits of debris.

So in a nutshell 3 Dwarf Planets: Pluto, Eris, Ceres (asteroid in the belt)

There are other Kuiper Belt Objects such as Quoar. It's quite confusing but it had to be done...

PS I like this stuff.

I can tell.

Unbirthday · **Posted:** March 11th, 2008, 8:17 pm

Shane wrote:

It was demoted to a dwarf planet. The reason being is because there's other objects out there in the Kuiper Belt (region that Pluto is in) that are infact bigger than Pluto and do orbit the sun. An example of such a body Eris which orbits the Sun as well. So a decision had to be made, do we keep adding these objects in the Kuiper belt or do we not?

Even here's there's some controversy. Do we call them Dwarf Planets or class them as Kuiper Belt Objects?

Dwarf Planets have to have enough mass that they become rounded. They also have to have not cleared out their orbits of debris.

So in a nutshell 3 Dwarf Planets: Pluto, Eris, Ceres (asteroid in the belt)

There are other Kuiper Belt Objects such as Quoar. It's quite confusing but it had to be done...

PS I like this stuff.

Confusing yes, but I get it all.

They either take away Pluto or add the rest. (If you include one, you must include all.) [correct me if I'm wrong]

Thanks for the elaborate explanation, very appreciated!
I feel smarter.