• Question: Would you consider Pluto a planet?

    Asked by Fudge3000 to Colin, Triona, Shikha, Kevin, John on 10 Nov 2014. This question was also asked by nicolia555, 328bera39, 449bera43.
    • Photo: Tríona O'Connell

      Tríona O'Connell answered on 10 Nov 2014:

      Nope. We’d need to reclassify some other large objects as planets if we wanted to keep pluto as a planet, and it’s hard enough to learn eight when you’re in primary school.
      Also, Jocelyn Bell Burnell chaired that IAU session where they “demoted” Pluto, and she’s cool, so let’s roll with what she says 🙂

    • Photo: Shikha Sharma

      Shikha Sharma answered on 11 Nov 2014:

      Hi Fudge3000,
      It was our 9th planet till I was in school. Discovered by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh in 1930 and remained as a planet till 2006. But as per the new rules of International Astronomical Union for any celestial body it didn’t qualify to be called as a planet as it has not yet cleared the neighborhood of its orbit in space. I would like to go with the researchers as they know more about solar system than me 🙂

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