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Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest known trans-Neptunian object by volume by a small margin, but is less massive than Eris.
At times it is actually closer to the sun than Neptune. ... When did Pluto stop being a planet, and why? Pluto was always in a tough spot when it came to being a planet. Just 1,477 miles across ...
Following the discovery, it was recognized that Pluto wasn't massive enough to be the expected ninth planet, and some astronomers began to consider it the first of a new class of object – and indeed Tombaugh searched for additional trans-Neptunian objects for years, though due to the lack of any further discoveries he concluded that Pluto was ...
Pluto was considered a planet up until 2006, when researchers at the International Astronomical Union voted to "demote" it to dwarf planet.
For 76 years, Pluto was considered our solar system's ninth planet — so, what caused it to lose its status?
Five bodies are currently recognized as or named as dwarf planets by the IAU: Ceres, Pluto (the dwarf planet with the largest known radius), [22] Eris (the dwarf planet with the largest known mass), [23] Haumea, and Makemake, though the last three have not actually been demonstrated to be dwarf planets. [24]
Additionally, the definition kept Pluto as a planet. Pluto's planetary status was and is fondly thought of by many, especially in the United States since Pluto was found by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, and the general public could have been alienated from professional astronomers; there was considerable uproar when the media last ...
For 76 years, Pluto was considered out solar system's ninth planet. So what caused it to lose its planetary status? Find out on this episode of "Space, Down to Earth"!