Name: Raquel Jackson
Topic: Do a research essay on how the status of Pluto changed because of evolving scientific knowledge.
Class: 1 HOPE
How The Status Of Pluto Changed.
The science of Pluto is extraordinary and has never failed to surprise me. After being classified the 8th planet of the solar system, along with Mercury Venus, Earth, mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune for 20 years it was considered a dwarf planet in 2006 for not meeting the 3 classifications to be an official planet.
Rule 1: Must orbit the sun - The first rule of being planet of the solar system is to be orbiting the sun like the other 7 planets do. Pluto has acquired this quality
Rule 2: Must have sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium (basically to be almost identical to a sphere). It also must be almost exactly in a spherical shape to be classified as a planet. Pluto has also acquired this quality
Rule 3: Must have "cleared the neighborhood" around it: The third and last rule to be classified as a planet is to have cleared all the rocks, dwarf planets, asteroids and other small substances of mass around it which some people call "clearing the neighborhood". Unluckily for Pluto, it did not meet this expectation and did not possess all the qualities to be considered a planet so it has been downgraded to being an official dwarf planet.