Will Pluto be a planet again? Here is what NASA chief has to say about it
Follow UsNASA chief Jared Isaacman backs making Pluto a planet again.
NASA is preparing papers to push Pluto's reclassification debate forward.
Pluto was dropped in 2006 for failing to clear its orbital neighbourhood.
The story of Pluto is quite interesting. While it is part of our solar system and it was even considered a planet, it was dismissed back in 2006 and set down as a dwarf planet. For years, the decision has remained the same, and while debates have arisen about reconsidering it as a planet again, nothing has happened yet. Though it looks like that all could change, as after nearly two decades, the debate is coming back, and this time it even has the head of NASA himself considering the decision. Let’s take a look at what we know.
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NASA chief on Pluto
The current NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, was recently testifying before the US Senate Committee. And during the meeting, he made his position very clear on the planet Pluto; he suggested, ‘Senator, I am very much in the camp of ‘make Pluto a planet again.’ Not only that, but he further suggested: ‘We are doing some papers right now on, I think, a position that we would love to escalate through the scientific community to revisit this discussion.’
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the one that actually controls what planet is classified under which category. They are the world’s largest professional body for astronomers, and they hold the authority on naming and defining objects in space. So for now, all NASA can do is push and bring some light to this matter, which is exactly what’s happening right now.
Why was Pluto dismissed as a planet?
For those wondering why and when Pluto was even dismissed as a planet, all of that happened back in 2006, when the IAU removed Pluto as a planet and reclassified it as a dwarf planet. Initially, the decision was very controversial, but according to the IAU, the planet did not meet the requirements to be considered a planet.
Based on the requirements set by them, there were three criteria to be considered a planet, which included that the planet must orbit the sun, be massive enough to assume a roughly spherical shape, and, crucially, clear its orbital neighbourhood of debris. Well, Pluto fell short on that third point, which made the decision for it to be called a dwarf planet.
Though now that the debate is back on again after such a long time, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not the IAU starts to consider Pluto as a planet once again or not. For now, all we can do is wait and see what happens.
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