Pluto’s Demotion: Understanding the Reclassification
Words: 614 1379For almost 70 years, Pluto was acknowledged as the eighth planet in the solar system. Many people believed that the distant celestial object Clyde Tombaugh found in 1930 was a planet because it caught the interest of both scientists and the general public. However, in 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) controversially decided to modify the criteria for planetary designation, leading to Pluto's reclassification as a "dwarf planet." This was not an impulse buy; rather, it was spurred on by […]