Pluto's Planetary Status

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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.
When Pluto was still a planet, it was the smallest in our solar system, setting it apart from the others. In order to be classified as a planet the celestial body must be large enough to clear other objects out of its way. With the tiny size of Pluto, the dwarf planet has troubles pushing away objects like asteroids. Pluto is about half the size of the United States, which sounds big, but considering Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is 1,300 times the volume of Earth. To further reinforce the extremely small size of Pluto is the fact that Earth’s moon is larger than the dwarf planet. Also, Pluto’s moons are only about 100 miles wide, which is about as wide as Missouri. In general Pluto is just extremely small, small enough to no longer be considered a legitimate planet. Many scientists theorize that Pluto might actually have once been a moon of Neptune. It is believed that Pluto originally came from outside of our solar system and was accidentally caught in the Sun’s gravity, pulling the dwarf planet into our solar system. So, Pluto would have been far from the typical classified planet, especially when it comes to the size. Therefore Pluto’s status of dwarf planet comes a great deal from its small size, so ...

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...it which brings a literal definition to dwarf planet. As well, the orbit of Pluto is angled, ovular, and it crosses the path of other objects, something a true planet would not be able to do. Though many people cherished Pluto dearly, it is not in fact a planet.

Bibliography
Dunbar, Brian. "What Is Pluto?" NASA. NASA, 29 Aug. 2012. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Millis, John. "Should Pluto Be a Planet? Why the Debate Continues." About.com Space / Astronomy. About, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Thompson, Mark. "Remind Me Again, Why Isn't Pluto a Planet? : DNews."DNews. Discovery, 26 July 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
"All About the Moon | Scholastic.com." Scholastic Teachers. Scholastic, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
"Ask an Astronomer." Cool Cosmos. Infrared, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
"Why Is Pluto No Longer Considered a Planet?" HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, 25 Aug. 2006. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

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