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Pluto the Dwarf Planet?
Neptune
Is Neptune next? Will Neptune be the next planet to be demoted to Dwarf Planet status like Pluto? The International Astronomical Union (IAU) at their 2006 contentious conference in Prague recently downgraded Pluto. U.S. Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh first discovered Pluto in 1930.
IAU Planetary Definition
According to the new IAU planetary definition, a planet is a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit. Pluto does not pass the last requirement because its orbit crosses into Neptune's. However, by that very fact, Neptune also does not meet the requirement since it clearly does not clear Pluto from its orbit.
Dwarf Planet Planetoids
In 2003, Astronomer Michael Brown found 2003 UB313 and nicknamed it Xena. The 2006 IAU Conference in Prague was originally going to officially classify 2003 UB313 and Ceres, Pluto's moon, as planets. Instead, Pluto, 2003 UB313, and Ceres became charter members of the newly defined Dwarf Planet club also known as planetoids. Some scientists apparently found it difficult to accept a moon as a planet.
Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt
The Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt, an area in outer space beyond Neptune containing all three current Dwarf Planets, has already been found to contain more than 1100 objects, and is estimated to contain more than a quadrillion thus leading to the need for a firm planetary definition. Even Astronomer Mike Brown agrees relegating and demoting 2003 UB313 to Dwarf Planet status and not calling it a planet is the correct scientific choice. But many other scientists do not; calling it politically flawed scientific reasoning.
A. Ryan Robbins of ycopfiles.com wrote this article. Why cop files dot com? It's Computer Information Security articles for the Law Enforcement community! Follow me on FriendFeed. Track me on Twitter. Subscribe to my News Feeds for free. Or read the Blog Frog to learn more about me.
Copyright (c) 2006-2008 A. Ryan Robbins. All Rights Reserved.