Is Pluto Considered A Planet Or Not?
Is Pluto a planet or not?
Is Pluto Considered A Planet Or Not?
As prescribed by the IAU, “a planet is a celestial body which: is in orbit around the Sun, has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly round shape), and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.”
With this definition, Pluto was removed from the family of planets of our Solar System. Pluto failed to fulfill all the desired requirements. It orbits around the sun and has sufficient mass to assume a prescribed shape, but it does not have a cleared neighborhood.
What is meant by a cleared neighborhood?
Well, this means that the celestial body should be gravitationally dominant in its region. It should be the most powerful in and around its vicinity, but Pluto shares its orbital belt with its neighborhood particles or celestial bodies. That means that some other celestial bodies have the same energy as Pluto does, thus, they share their orbits. Thus, it does not have a clear neighborhood.
Thus, Pluto is no longer considered a planet.
I hope this answer helps you.
– Written by Manpreet
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