AND AFTER ALLLLLLLLL

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I'm not angry or taking this really seriously, but I'm just explaining to the people who really don't know why Pluto isn't a planet. The Kuiper Belt is a region in space just past Neptune (the 8th planet). There are many "planet-like" objects in this region, like Pluto. However, astronomers discovered a body that was larger than Pluto and this body (called Eris) is farther away from the sun than Pluto. There are also several other objects near Pluto-size, so either all of those would become planets, or Pluto would not be a planet. So, some rules had to be made as to what a planet was. One of the rules was the "prospective planet" needs to be the dominant body in its orbit around the sun; the prospective planet needs to consume smaller nearby object or sling them away with their gravity. Pluto is similar size to objects near it, so it's not a dominant body. But dwarfs are still definitely people.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I have to say you ended your explanation on a particularly strong point.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Well put. A planet needs to have sufficient gravity to achieve hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly spherical shape), it must be in orbit around a star, and it must have cleared its orbit. As you stated, Pluto did not fit that last criteria. The same thing goes for the other four dwarf planets.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Thank you. And I love the Ender series.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

lol, dwarves aren't people.

by Anonymous 13 years ago