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Why Pluto is a Dwarf Planet

Pluto was reclassified as a 'dwarf planet' in 2006 by the IAU due to its failure to meet the third criterion of planet definition, which requires clearing its orbital neighborhood. While it orbits the Sun and has sufficient mass for a nearly round shape, it shares its orbit with other objects in the Kuiper Belt. Pluto has five known moons: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos, and Styx.

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shilbe Gemaing
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11 views1 page

Why Pluto is a Dwarf Planet

Pluto was reclassified as a 'dwarf planet' in 2006 by the IAU due to its failure to meet the third criterion of planet definition, which requires clearing its orbital neighborhood. While it orbits the Sun and has sufficient mass for a nearly round shape, it shares its orbit with other objects in the Kuiper Belt. Pluto has five known moons: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos, and Styx.

Uploaded by

shilbe Gemaing
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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FirstName LastName CSWP 010 - Section dd-mm-yyyy

PLUTO IS NOT A PLANET


Pluto /’pluːtoʊ/ was reclassified from a planet to a "dwarf planet" in 2006 by the International
Astronomical Union (IAU). This decision was based on a new definition of what constitutes a
planet.

Planet Criteria
The IAU's definition states that a planet must meet three criteria: Orbit the Sun: The object
must be in orbit around the Sun. Sufficient Mass for a Nearly Round Shape: The object must
have sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a nearly
round shape. Cleared the Neighborhood Around Its Orbit: The object must have cleared the
neighborhood around its orbit, meaning it must be gravitationally dominant, and there should be
no other bodies of comparable size other than its moons or those otherwise under its gravitational
influence in its vicinity.

While Pluto meets the first two criteria, it does not meet the third. Pluto shares its orbital zone
with other objects in the Kuiper Belt, a region of the Solar System beyond Neptune filled with
small icy bodies. Because it has not cleared its orbit of other debris, the IAU reclassified Pluto as
a dwarf planet.

Pluto's Moons
Charon: Approximately 1,212 kilometers diameter, mass (1.5897 ± 0.0045) x 1021 kg
Nix: Approximately 49.8 kilometers diameter, mass (2.60 ± 0.52) x 1016 kg
Hydra: Approximately 50.9 kilometers diameter, mass (3.01 ± 0.30) x 1016 kg
Kerberos: Approximately 19 kilometers diameter, mass 1.65 x 1016 kg
Styx: Approximately 16 kilometers diameter, mass of 7.5 x 1015 kg

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