Community Chat

[GoneButNotForgotten]

Pluto was designated as a planet; and less thatn 100 years later it's been demoted.

Neil DeGrasseTyson mentioned how angry some people were about the demotion; he even got hate mail from little kids.

[MezzieStarr]

You can't sit with us, Pluto...

[ECBG]

WOW!

[bmorechick]

@GoneButNotForgotten   And it was given it's name by a young child, age 11 for the Roman god Pluto.  I love science and fun facts ☺️

[bikerbabe]

The change in status was in 2006. I believe Pluto is considered a dwarf planet and part of the Kuiper Belt, one of a series of icy objects beyond Neptune.

There’s always been a lot of debate about Pluto, but it was relegated from actual planet status because it’s gravitational force isn’t sufficient to clear similar sized objects from its rotational field: it’s one of a number of icy objects in the Kuiper Belt.

But there is still controversy over its status among astronomers.

[chrystaltree]

It was almost 20 years ago that Pluto was demoted and I remember how upset some people were.  It was like they thought Pluto had been erased.  Its classified as a dwarf planet now.  

[songbird]

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@bikerbabe wrote:
The change in status was in 2006. I believe Pluto is considered a dwarf planet and part of the Kuiper Belt, one of a series of icy objects beyond Neptune.

There’s always been a lot of debate about Pluto, but it was relegated from actual planet status because it’s gravitational force isn’t sufficient to clear similar sized objects from its rotational field: it’s one of a number of icy objects in the Kuiper Belt.

But there is still controversy over its status among astronomers.

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There is a whole slew of dwarf planets all around the Kuiper belt.  They all look like Pluto and many are even smaller.  If you going to bring back planet status, you might as well bring  back at least hundreds of them. And some of them are banging in to each other.  The entire group are now classified as dwarf planets.

[Cakers3]

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@bmorechick wrote:

@GoneButNotForgotten   And it was given it's name by a young child, age 11 for the Roman god Pluto.  I love science and fun facts ☺️

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@bmorechick  Venetia Burney. She suggested the name to her grandfather. He in turn passed the suggestion to a professor of astronomy who then submitted the name to the Lowell Observatory. 

There had been 3 names under consideration but two were dismissed.

Venetia's suggestion was accepted.

[Foxxee]

Astrologically, regardless of its size, it's very powerful if you are into astrology.  

Pluto is said to tear down, destroy, then rebuild. That process isn't pleasant.  

[SaveTheTurtles]

I thought the same thing when I heard this on the news this morning.