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Jul 13, 2015 · The flyby of Pluto is unlikely to provide any information relevant to a change in Pluto's status. But it will bring into clear focus once more what is, and what isn't, meant by the term "planet ...
Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest known trans-Neptunian object by volume, by a small margin, but is less massive than Eris.
Pluto's low gravity (about 6% of Earth's) causes the atmosphere to be much more extended in altitude than our planet's atmosphere. Pluto becomes much colder during the part of each year when it is traveling far away from the Sun. During this time, the bulk of the planet's atmosphere may freeze and fall as snow to the surface.
Dec 29, 2023 · Pluto clearly orbits the Sun and is spherical. It is the third criterion, the “clearing of bodies,” where the confusion lies. This qualification is ambiguous at best, and perhaps flawed.
Oct 13, 2022 · The IAU defines a planet as a celestial body orbiting the sun, with a nearly spherical appearance, and that has (for the most part) cleared debris from its orbital neighborhood. But even this set ...
May 28, 2024 · A planet needs to be independently orbiting the Sun, large enough to be spherical, and has to “clear its orbit” of smaller bodies. The first two were clearly met by Pluto, but not the last.
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Pluto is a dwarf planet located in a distant region of our solar system beyond Neptune known as the Kuiper Belt. Pluto was long considered our ninth planet, but the International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006. NASA's New Horizons was the first spacecraft to explore Pluto up close, flying by in 2015. Pluto was ...
