Pluto? Not a Planet
Pluto is still not officially a planet. No matter what most people think, both scientist and non, until the International Astronomical Union has a vote, Pluto remains a dwarf planet.
Pluto is still not officially a planet. No matter what most people think, both scientist and non, until the International Astronomical Union has a vote, Pluto remains a dwarf planet.
According to the IAU a planet is defined as a celestial body that satisfy 3 conditions:
- it is in orbit around the Sun,
- it has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly round shape), and
- it has “cleared the neighbourhood” around its orbit.
Now Pluto fails on the last bit, but in the video I explain why I think it shouldn’t be consider a planet and I discuss my definition of “planet”
CREDITS: Images courtesy of NASA, animation courtesy of the Digital Welshman