Should Pluto Be Considered A Planet?

[master_q 0]

Should Pluto be considered a true planet?

 

Why?

Why not?

 

 

Master Q

StarTrek_Master_Q@yahoo.com

[A l t e r E g o 9]

I vote no because there is not enough evidence to support it's existence as a true planet.

 

If it were a Gas Dwarf then it would fit in with other planets in that area of the Solar System but being a solid object, suggests to me it was captured. I could be wrong though; stranger things have been discovered out there.

 

I wonder if we will ever see a mission to explore it in our lifetimes, Has NASA been dragging their feet on this, or does anyone know of a mission being planned?

[Yillara Skye 1]

I think that it should be considered a planet. It has been the ninth planet for as long as I can remember, and though it is not similar in nature to the gas giant outer planets. But, then it is also true that Pluto is also small enough to be discounted as a runaway moon. Also it's satellite Charon is not much smaller than Pluto itself. It is a truly difficult choice, but I voted yes keep it as a planet, since it has been a planet for a while now.

 

Side note, one could argue that we have more than nine planets since there have been other planetoid like objects discovered outside of Pluto's orbit. Quohar, is one such object they are debating on planet status. Their argument is that if Pluto counts, then Quohar should as well. Now on the planetoids name...I could be spelling it wrong..(pronounced Kway-oh-are.)

[removed 0]

i just hope that soon they will discover new planets! that would be amazing!

[Yillara Skye 1]

i just hope that soon they will discover new planets! that would be amazing!

 

Yes it would be interesting to discover that our Solar System had more than 9 (10 if you count the newly found Quaohar). I mean the planet count outside our own system has grown considerably in the last five years.

 

Here is the article about our new "planet"

 

Major Minor Planet-Astronomy.com

[Xeroc 0]

I voted no.

 

I believe pluto is too similar to other Kuiper Belt objects like the recently discovered Quaoar. It is much morre similar to the objects in the Kuiper Belt than the other outer planets. It only stands to reason that it is not a true planet.

[Yillara Skye 1]

That is why I was torn at first, I voted yes because you'd have to redo everything. But that is the case with so many things in the world today. And Pluto had planetary status for this long, so since Quaoar is smaller by 600miles, and Pluto is the largest of the Kupier Objects, I think it should remain a planet at least for this point in time. When we discover more of the Kupier Belt, then it truly can be decided if it needs to be demoted. The next logical discussion would be whether Quaoar should be given at least temporary planetary status. I think it shouldn't for the same reason that Pluto should remain listed as our ninth planet. Because there MAY be an object LARGER than Quaoar, and yet SMALLER than Pluto. At this point and time we really don't have enough information to change anything.

[Takara_Soong 4]

This topic is getting way too heavy. I say any planet named after Mickey's dog has to be good. :)

 

 

Just kidding. I really do know that it wasn't named after Mickey's dog.

[Yillara Skye 1]

That was funny Takara! And no, I knew that you didn't think that it was named after Mickey's dog!! :)

 

Yes this subject can get pretty heavy, I mean we ARE discussing about changing the way people have thought and have been taught for decades now.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

I voted yes simply because it was a planet 10 years ago, 20 years ago and 30 years ago so it's a planet now. Should it be one? Well, I don't know but I don't think it really matters. We could call Luna a planet but it wouldn't change the fact that it's our moon.

[Takara_Soong 4]

That was funny Takara! And no, I knew that you didn't think that it was named after Mickey's dog!! :) 

 

Yes this subject can get pretty heavy, I mean we ARE discussing about changing the way people have thought and have been taught for decades now.

So true. I guess we'll have to wait and see what we can learn in the future. At one time the world was flat and the moon was made out of cheese. There is so much out there we can't even imagine what we'll really find.

[Yillara Skye 1]

That's so right! We go from the world being flat, and the moon being made of cheese to "Pluto might not be a planet" and "We may have a tenth planet!"

[master_q 0]

I’ll start off with this interesting fact . . .

Pluto Mass is 1/250 of Earth!

The moon is 1/81 of Earth!

 

 

It is a good question and one I would believe that we can’t answer 100%. Until we know more about the objects that are that far out in our Solar System, then we can really place a label to it.

 

So until then we can’t say it is or is not a planet, but like other notable scientists (like Hawking) they like to place bets. And I would place a bet that in the long run we will disregard it for a planet. If we don’t, then it will be for its historical significance (which is very likely).

 

 

Of course we have that historical value. Percival Lowell was the first to try to find it. The actual interesting thing is that Lowell was looking for this planet to try to explain some of the irregularities in the orbits of Uranus & Neptune. But he died and others like Clyde William Tombaugh countiuned his work and Tombaugh actually found Pluto. Most of the irregularities are from Pluto’s and Neptune’s orbit intercepting and basically “changing places” and not really because of Pluto’s own gravity. So that which could be a potential reason of why it is one (a planet) in fact is really not or does not add to it making a true planet.

 

Then of course Pluto has its own natural satellite Charon. As probably most of you known Charon is about the size of Pluto and hence is sometimes doubled as “the double planet”.

 

But besides the fact that it is kind of a loner to the other outer planets (which of course is good reason overall like the fact that there are probably other Kuiper belt objects that are similar in size. Also just because it might be one of the biggest there does not really mean we should label it as a planet) there are other interesting facts that kind of make it separate. Pluto’s orbit is inclined compared to the others and that to me suggests that something if it was initially positioned and made that way that way or some force (gravity) pulled it in.

 

It is possible that Pluto might have been a good sized (nice and large) planet, but that it was stopped by Neptune & the Kuiper Belt. We also see that it is very dense (but that’s another story . . . well it kind of fit)

 

But one important thing that no one really talked about here is how do you define a “planet”?

In fact there really is no good definition . . .

 

Defining of a "planet" is a major problem. We don't have a solid definition. We could break up the term and have for example: Pluto could just be a minor planet and have it not count as a regular planet compared to the other eight. When I looked at some regular dictionaries some just said that it was a body that orbited a star. There is a real lack of what a "planet" is.

 

 

You might get a definition like:

“Astronomical body that orbits a star and does not shine with its own light, especially one of the nine such bodies orbiting the Sun in the solar system”

Even in a more scientific textbook I don’t see anything really significantly different. With just this definition we could label tons of different objects in our solar system as a “planet”. So as you can see we don’t really have a good definition for it in the first place. This is a most definite problem.

 

 

For the amount that we have seen thought a telescope and for all we know Pluto might be an average size (when comparing to other solar systems) so it's that lack of knowledge that also gets in the way.

 

 

Master Q

StarTrek_Master_Q@yahoo.com

[xenexian 2]

I would have to say that for the moment, Pluto is a planet. It's orbit, as odd as it is, seems to indicate that it is. I think the question could also be where did it come from? Isn't it odd that every other planet outside the orbit of Mars is a gas giant except for tiny Pluto? I believe there have even been a few theories that it may be an escaped moon of Neptune but how it achieved its present orbit remains a mystery. Perhaps millions of years ago a rouge star or passing black hole deflected its orbit into what we see today. In any case, my vote goes for it being designated a planet until some better explanation comes along.

[adm. stickler 0]

i said no i think its moon is our planet and pluto is its moon i said this because i think(think) i read that its moon is bigger thn it

[Yillara Skye 1]

Here is the link to a page that will show the size comparisons. true this picture is a part of an article discussing Varuna(an asteroid), but it gives you an idea

 

 

Comparison of Varuna, Charon and Pluto-Astronomy.com

[dsbs 0]

I voted yes simply because it was a planet 10 years ago, 20 years ago and 30 years ago so it's a planet now. Should it be one? Well, I don't know but I don't think it really matters. We could call Luna a planet but it wouldn't change the fact that it's our moon.

I voted yes for the same reason, but it would be easier to decide if I could have the DEFINITION of a planet, and see how well Pluto fits. Just because its small doesn't mean it cant be called a planet (and even if it is a runaway moon, it orbits the sun NOW)

[master_q 0]

I voted yes simply because it was a planet 10 years ago, 20 years ago and 30 years ago so it's a planet now. Should it be one? Well, I don't know but I don't think it really matters. We could call Luna a planet but it wouldn't change the fact that it's our moon.

I voted yes for the same reason, but it would be easier to decide if I could have the DEFINITION of a planet, and see how well Pluto fits. Just because its small doesn't mean it cant be called a planet (and even if it is a runaway moon, it orbits the sun NOW)

Exactly and that’s one of my main points that is questionable. We don’t have a solid definition for what a “planet” is. If Pluto’s size is any constellation I think we can call lots of little objects that orbit the sun as a planet if we just stick with the definition that we have right now. The definition in the dictionary is not that different from one in a scientific book. And that’s a problem. And the problem that I stated before is that we have a lack of knowing in the sense that we don’t know what the average planet looks like in the universe and so on . . . .

 

 

Master Q

StarTrek_Master_Q@yahoo.com

[Sarah 0]

I remember watching a tv show on ngc and the scientist there said that pluto was actually a smaller sun that was pulled into the orbit around our sun. I dont know its all just theries to me and like they all say everyones got one haha :)

[cptwright 1]

i said yes, all my life plutos been a planet, why change it now. its orbiting around the sun like the rest of us. so what does size have to do with it. it orbits the sun, and its a spherical object. its a planet. at least till astronomers tell me otherwise, with good reason.

[Xeroc 0]

i said yes, all my life plutos been a planet, why change it now. its orbiting around the sun like the rest of us. so what does size have to do with it. it orbits the sun, and its a spherical object. its a planet. at least till astronomers tell me otherwise, with good reason.

Asteroids also orbit the sun and some have very nearly spherical shape - are they planets? Or what about comets? They match the description also. Did I misunderstand what you meant?

[cptwright 1]

i said yes, all my life plutos been a planet, why change it now. its orbiting around the sun like the rest of us. so what does size have to do with it. it orbits the sun, and its a spherical object. its a planet. at least till astronomers tell me otherwise, with good reason.

Asteroids also orbit the sun and some have very nearly spherical shape - are they planets? Or what about comets? They match the description also. Did I misunderstand what you meant?

yes and no, i mean pluto more closely resembles a planet than an astroid or comet, i just thought that was a given.

[master_q 0]

i said yes, all my life plutos been a planet, why change it now. its orbiting around the sun like the rest of us. so what does size have to do with it. it orbits the sun, and its a spherical object. its a planet. at least till astronomers tell me otherwise, with good reason.

Asteroids also orbit the sun and some have very nearly spherical shape - are they planets? Or what about comets? They match the description also. Did I misunderstand what you meant?

yes and no, i mean pluto more closely resembles a planet than an astroid or comet, i just thought that was a given.

Well it is more then that. Some of my general expiations and possible reasons for it not to be a true planet is its irregular orbit, its size (that is a good reason - at least to me), it does not fit with the other outer planets, and so on.

 

I can agree to the fact of its historical presence or value. I can see it staying as a planet for that reason, but by a classification as general as you seem to be pointing there still seems this big gap of “what is a planet?”. If I could find all of these object that look pretty much spherical in the Oort cloud by a general by some kind of over simplification of a definition as you were using then I could just label lots and lots of Oort cloud objects as a “planet”. Then we could be talking about hundreds. That’s one problem that I addressed in this topic (or at least tried to address) is the fact that we don’t have a solid definition of “planet”.

 

Once we get that then we really can answer the question is Pluto a “planet” . . . .

 

 

Master Q

StarTrek_Master_Q@yahoo.com

[ddillard 2]

i just hope that soon they will discover new planets! that would be amazing!

 

Yes it would be interesting to discover that our Solar System had more than 9 (10 if you count the newly found Quaohar). I mean the planet count outside our own system has grown considerably in the last five years.

 

Here is the article about our new "planet"

 

Major Minor Planet-Astronomy.com

Thanks for the article. I had not heard about this yet.

 

I think the next planet discovered should be named after Gene Roddenberry.

[Yillara Skye 1]

i just hope that soon they will discover new planets! that would be amazing!

 

Yes it would be interesting to discover that our Solar System had more than 9 (10 if you count the newly found Quaohar). I mean the planet count outside our own system has grown considerably in the last five years.

 

Here is the article about our new "planet"

 

Major Minor Planet-Astronomy.com

Thanks for the article. I had not heard about this yet.

 

I think the next planet discovered should be named after Gene Roddenberry.

No problem, and you are very welcome! I love sharing astronomy articles...they are so interesting. I agree that a planet should bear Mr. Roddenberry's name one day....but how exactly to name the planet without making it look awkward....

[Data 0]

I vote no because there is not enough evidence to support it's existence as a true planet.

 

If it were a Gas Dwarf then it would fit in with other planets in that area of the Solar System but being a solid object, suggests to me it was captured. I could be wrong though; stranger things have been discovered out there.

 

I wonder if we will ever see a mission to explore it in our lifetimes, Has NASA been dragging their feet on this, or does anyone know of a mission being planned?

I wonder what happened to Voyager. It gave us stuff on Jupiter and then....... Didn't I read somewhere that there is supposed to be another planet past Pluto?

[A l t e r E g o 9]

I vote no because there is not enough evidence to support it's existence as a true planet.

 

If it were a Gas Dwarf then it would fit in with other planets in that area of the Solar System but being a solid object, suggests to me it was captured. I could be wrong though; stranger things have been discovered out there.

 

I wonder if we will ever see a mission to explore it in our lifetimes, Has NASA been dragging their feet on this, or does anyone know of a mission being planned?

I wonder what happened to Voyager. It gave us stuff on Jupiter and then....... Didn't I read somewhere that there is supposed to be another planet past Pluto?

Both VOY and the two PIONEER space craft were not aligned to rendezvous with Pluto (if that’s why you ask, if not;) they are flying off in different directions and are already WAY PAST Pluto. In order to visit Pluto we need a craft devoted to Pluto exploration and I think they are dragging their feet on getting to it.

[deagletime 1]

I voted no.

 

I believe pluto is too similar to other Kuiper Belt objects like the recently discovered Quaoar.  It is much morre similar to the objects in the Kuiper Belt than the other outer planets.  It only stands to reason that it is not a true planet.

 

i understand that all the planets in the solar system have derivations of roman mythological gods..but...Quaoar...sounds like someone with a facination with klingon folklore

[ddillard 2]

i just hope that soon they will discover new planets! that would be amazing!

 

Yes it would be interesting to discover that our Solar System had more than 9 (10 if you count the newly found Quaohar). I mean the planet count outside our own system has grown considerably in the last five years.

 

Here is the article about our new "planet"

 

Major Minor Planet-Astronomy.com

Thanks for the article. I had not heard about this yet.

 

I think the next planet discovered should be named after Gene Roddenberry.

No problem, and you are very welcome! I love sharing astronomy articles...they are so interesting. I agree that a planet should bear Mr. Roddenberry's name one day....but how exactly to name the planet without making it look awkward....

Well maybe considering that Roddenberry was known as the "Great Bird of the Galaxy" maybe they could use a greek or latin word that has a close meaning.

[Yillara Skye 1]

i just hope that soon they will discover new planets! that would be amazing!

 

Yes it would be interesting to discover that our Solar System had more than 9 (10 if you count the newly found Quaohar). I mean the planet count outside our own system has grown considerably in the last five years.

 

Here is the article about our new "planet"

 

Major Minor Planet-Astronomy.com

Thanks for the article. I had not heard about this yet.

 

I think the next planet discovered should be named after Gene Roddenberry.

No problem, and you are very welcome! I love sharing astronomy articles...they are so interesting. I agree that a planet should bear Mr. Roddenberry's name one day....but how exactly to name the planet without making it look awkward....

Well maybe considering that Roddenberry was known as the "Great Bird of the Galaxy" maybe they could use a greek or latin word that has a close meaning.

THat would be a great idea!!