Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Like other Kuiper belt objects, Pluto is made primarily of ice and rock and is much smaller than the inner planets. Pluto has roughly one-sixth the mass of the Moon, and one-third its volume. Originally considered a planet, its status was changed when a new definition of the word was adopted by astronomers.
The memoir is an account of the events surrounding the redefinition of the term planet that eventually changed the status of Pluto. It chronicles the discovery of Eris , a dwarf planet then mistakenly thought to be larger than Pluto, located within the scattered disc , beyond Neptune's orbit.
For 76 years, Pluto was considered our solar system's ninth planet — so, what caused it to lose its status? Skip to main content. Sign in. Mail. 24/7 Help. For premium support please call: ...
For 76 years, Pluto was considered out solar system's ninth planet. So what caused it to lose its planetary status? Find out on this episode of "Space, Down to Earth"!
Particularly notable are Eris, a dwarf planet and the only TNO known to be more massive than Pluto, leading directly to Pluto's demotion from planet status; [2] [8] Sedna, a planetoid thought to be the first observed body of the inner Öpik–Oort cloud; and Orcus.
Pluto was considered a planet up until 2006, when researchers at the International Astronomical Union voted to "demote" it to dwarf planet.
Pluto's planetary status was and is fondly thought of by many, especially in the United States since Pluto was found by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, and the general public could have been alienated from professional astronomers; there was considerable uproar when the media last suggested, in 1999, that Pluto might be demoted, which was a ...
"The debate over Pluto’s status highlights the evolving nature of scientific classification." Skip to main content. Sign in. Mail. 24/7 Help. For premium support please call: 800-290 ...