In 2013 a team of astronomers discovered a new planet eleven times more massive than Jupiter and 650 astronomical units from it’s star. It’s relatively new, only 13 million years old, and still glows from leftover heat from it’s formation. This planet defies many of the limitations scientists know about star and planet formation. It’s too far away from it’s star to have been formed by gathering asteroid-like bodies from the creation of the star or to be made of dust and gas clouds in the primordial disk. Astronomers also considered the idea that it might be a failed start formed during binary star formation however the mass ratio of the planet and it’s star is too different for that to be likely either.
In 2003 a planet larger than Pluto was found beyond it, this planet was Eris. With the discovery of this new planet, it brought the question of what actually makes a planet a planet. This question made scientists question if Pluto was actually a planet. After some debate in 2006, Pluto was finally declared a dwarf planet, and ever since there has been some powerful backlash concerning the decision. Despite the controversy, Pluto most definitely deserves the class of dwarf planet because of it’s size and orbit.
This explanation is much different and clearer about what qualifies as a planet. If you look at this definition compared to the actual facts about Pluto, is make you believe that Pluto may be a different type of planet. There was a long time no clear definition of what make something a planet. In 2006 the International Astronomical Union created a list of criteria to be used to justify if something is a planet or not. The first on is “A) a planet is a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun B) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that is assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape and C)has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.” This definition helped determine what a planet is and is not, and also helps show that Pluto is not a planet.
- NASA Science. NASA, 23 Feb. 2001. Web. 01 May 2014. Than, Ker.
The ninth planet Pluto lost its planetary status when it did not “make the cut” after The International Astronomical Union collaborated in Prague to finalize the definition of the word planet. The International Astronomical Union decided that there are eight planetary bodies in Earth’s solar system and that Pluto should be categorized as a dwarf planet. Online newspaper articles from 2006, the year The International Astronomical Union met in Prague, up until 2012 emphasize how the demotion of Pluto was presented to the general public. The articles covered within this six year span emphasize the more scientific aspect of the media’s portrayal of Pluto’s demotion. This timeline begins with the official demotion of ... ... middle of paper ... ...eral populous receives, the article “What is Pluto” places emphasis on the theory behind the decision and the new categorization of Pluto whilst other media outlets focus on scientists opinions of the change as well as how the change will sit with the general populous.
29 Mar. 2014. . "HistoryMole Timeline: Pluto." HistoryMole Timeline: Pluto. N.p., n.d.
HowStuffWorks.com, 10 Mar. 2008. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. Griggs, Brandon.
"Temperature of Venus." Universe Today. 15 May. 2008. 18 Nov. 2013. .
Web. 03 May 2014. "NASA's Bolden: Mars or Bust." Washington Informer. N.p., 22 Apr.
The Cassini spacecraft is the largest interplanetary spacecraft ever built. This spacecraft currently orbits Saturn. Saturn is an extraordinary planet with many mysteries that haven’t been answered, like how many rings are there to the planet no one knows because it is nearly impossible to figure out how many rings does the Jewel of our solar system have.