It's about time! In 2006 astronomers demoted Pluto to a dwarf planet. They said that to be classified as a planet it must orbit the sun, must be big enough for gravity to squash it into a round ball, and it must have cleared other things out of the way in its orbital neighborhood. Pluto did not fit this category because it hasn't "cleared the neighborhood". So astronomers voted that it was no longer a planet.
It hasn't been voted on yet in the general assembly , so it's not officially a planet yet. But the next IAU general assembly is this year in Honolulu. Also most scientist are already saying it should be considered a planet. Harvard science historian Owen Gingerich said "a planet is a culturally defined word that changes over time," and that Pluto is a planet.
It hasn't been voted on yet in the general assembly , so it's not officially a planet yet. But the next IAU general assembly is this year in Honolulu. Also most scientist are already saying it should be considered a planet. Harvard science historian Owen Gingerich said "a planet is a culturally defined word that changes over time," and that Pluto is a planet.