Pluto, previously accepted as the smallest planet in the Solar System, has been reclassified in a decision taken by astronomers at a gathering in the Czech Republic.
The decision to reclassify Pluto was taken in Prague during the Astronomers Congress organized by the International Astronomers Union (IAU). Astronomers gathered to vote on a new definition of planets and the proposal to increase the number of planets in the Solar System from 9 to 12. The voting, held among 2,500 astronomers from 75 different countries, resulted in the surprise cancellation of Pluto’s status as a planet and its reclassification as a “Dwarf Planet.”
Pluto was discovered in 1930 and has been widely accepted as the smallest and last planet in the Solar System. Recently, some experts claimed that Pluto should not be classified as a planet because of its frozen surface and much smaller mass in comparison to the other eight planets. If the IAU’s reclassification proposal had been accepted, three newly discovered celestial bodies would also have been accepted as planets. They are Charon 3, a satellite of Pluto, 2003 UB313, discovered in 2003, and a huge asteroid between Mars and Jupiter.
The decision to demote Pluto from its status of planet means that all school and astronomy books with nine planets need to be re-written.
Just goes to show you what you know today may not be right tomorrow.
