Pluto - Planet or Dwarf Planet?

EXPLAINED IN 60 SECONDS! - Why it was a planet, why it is now a Dwarf Planet. Everything you need to know.

This video explains everything about Pluto, when it was discovered, how it compares to other Solar System objects, and why it was demoted to a Dwarf Planet in 2006.

This video "How big is the Universe?" will blow your mind!
https://youtu.be/hiJ9KNPOwkc

Pluto

Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh and for over 70 years it was considered to be the 9th planet of the Solar System.

This all changed in 2006, when the International Astronomy Union created a planetary test made up of 3 conditions, each of which must be passed for a Solar System object to be considered a fully fledged planet.

(a) Does the object orbit around the Sun?

(b) Does the object have enough mass to be rounded by its own gravity?

(c) Has the object cleared the neighborhood around its orbit?

While Pluto met the first of two of these criteria, it failed to meet the third.

Puto's small size means that it does not have the gravitational influence to be able to clear the area around its orbit.

So, in September 2006, Pluto was placed into a new category called Dwarf Planets, and has since be joined by 4 other Dwarf Planets being Ceres, Haumea, Makemake and Eris. With the exception of Ceres, which is located in the asteroid belt, the other dwarf planets are all found in the outer solar system.

In truth, even before 2006, Pluto's status as a planet was on some shakey ground. Primarily due to it's size (a little more than half the size of Earth's moon), and it's elliptical and inclined orbit which takes Pluto into the Kuiper Belt and then inside the orbit of Neptune, while it's 17 degree inclination takes Pluto well above and then below the plane of the other Solar System Planets.

That said, there is still much debate in the astronomical community, with some astronomers arguing that the three conditions are not an reasonable assessment of planetary status.

What do you think? Should Pluto still be considered a planet?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Don't have much time and would like to understand other astronomy concepts in 60 seconds?

Then subscribe to this channel and watch out for our next video.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Lost Frontier by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300039
Artist: http://incompetech.com/