The debate has once again erupted regarding Pluto’s planethood. Now NASA is pushing to reclassify Pluto as a planet.
Pluto lost its planetary title in 2006 and was demoted to a “dwarf planet” based on a controversial vote by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Since then, this decision has faced criticism from the scientific community.
At the root of its de-classification lies the IAU’s definition of a planet. According to the standard definition, to be called a planet, a celestial body must orbit the Sun, be around it, and have a gravitational influence on it that helps the body clear its orbital neighborhood of debris.
When it comes to Pluto, it only meets two requirements but misses out on the third, which causes its demotion.
Here a question arises: What has changed now and why is NASA committed to returning Pluto to planet status?
Recently, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman showed his support for making Pluto a planet again during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, saying, “I am in favor of making Pluto a planet again. We would love to see this discussion move forward through the scientific community again.”
According to the NASA chief, his agency is conducting research and will eventually come up with a compelling explanation that will help convince the scientific community that Pluto is a full-fledged planet, validating the concept of astronomer Clyde Tombaugh who discovered it in 1930.
Yet some scientists are not in favor of reclassifying Plato as a planet. Michael E. Brown, Caltech Professor of Planetary Astronomy, “Pluto lost its planet status when it failed to grow large enough to become a planet about 4 1/2 billion years ago. We should never have called Pluto a planet.”
Although the President could theoretically issue an executive order to “reset” Pluto, this would be a symbolic gesture rather than a scientific reality.
In the world of astronomy, legal orders do not matter; Instead, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) serves as the global authority on astronomical nomenclature and classification.
