Pluto is no longer a planet: Here is why

Pluto was a regular planet in the solar system up until 2006 when a group of scientists from the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided to make the definition of “planets” more specific. Unfortunately, the tiny, icy world at the edge of our solar system did not qualify to the new formed terminology. This is when Pluto was demoted and it came to be known as the “dwarf planet.”  

Reason behind Pluto’s demotion 

According to the IAU, Pluto lost its position as a planet because it did not “clear its neighbouring region of other objects.” But what does this mean? Well, the implication here is, Pluto still harbours quite a few asteroids and other space rocks along its moving path instead of consuming them over time as larger planets did.  

Moreover, the size of Pluto is also too small as compared to the other members of the solar system, about 18.5 per cent the size of the earth. So, the term “dwarf planet” seems to be the appropriate name for it, according to some scientists. However, others argue that every planet is unique in its own specific way and this demotion is unjustified. They further dispute that the space is full of known and unknown objects and almost all the planets have something in their “neighbouring region.” However, the ‘dwarf planet is no less fascinating than regular planets. 

Why is Pluto still interesting? 

• Pluto is always approximately 4 billion miles away from the earth depending on where is it in its off-centered orbit. 
• The dwarf planet’s average temperature dips to minus 387 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a lot colder than humans can possibly imagine.
• Pluto has a huge glacier on its surface made of exotic ices, unlike the water-ices available on earth. This glacier is mainly made of nitrogen and methane, that are gases in earth’s atmosphere. 
•  Pluto is really dark as it is farthest from the sun. In fact, NASA has a handy website dedicated to what they call as “Pluto time” and it can be accessed by anyone around the world. It is said that the brightest hour of Pluto looks something like the dusk time on our earth. 
• Pluto has five moons. One of them, named Charon, is exactly half the size of Pluto. It is indeed big, so much so, that its gravity makes Pluto quiver in its orbit.