New theories about the formation of planets and the makeup of the asteroid belt suggest that more than one planet or dwarf planet system is present in our solar system. The question is, “What is Pluto?” As the question is being pondered about by both the theoretical scientific community and the general public, there are some good reasons to start thinking about this question.
One reason to ask is “Why is Pluto a dwarf planet?” Is it a planet? This is an important question in determining the formation of planets. A planet is considered a planet if it has enough gravity to hold it apart from the other planets in the solar system. If it is too heavy, it is not a planet, even though it may be similar in composition to the Earth.
Astronomy textbooks say that Pluto is a dwarf planet. How is that so? The astronomers who discovered it (including telescopes on the space probe New Horizons) described it as having the similar composition to a rock or water. It is made mostly up of water, with up to 40% water being the main rock. So is Pluto a planet?
If Pluto is a dwarf planet, does that mean that it is a “dwarf” of other planets, too? In fact, no, not necessarily. The original planets in our solar system were almost certainly not Dwarf Planets. These include Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, but they also included comets such as Hale-Bopp, Halley, and Herschel.
Dwarf planets are generally less stable than the planets in our own solar system. They do not have the stability to hold onto their atmospheres, and as a result, they lose their atmospheres, sometimes in just one or two weeks. When this happens, they are usually quickly forgotten about again. Unlike comets, which can stay around for billions of years before evaporating completely, dwarf planets are too short lived to last longer than a million years at most. If a planet is extremely old, it will eventually be forgotten about, along with the other icy objects that were once part of it.
How is Pluto a planet if it is not a dwarf planet? The short answer is that it is not a planet, at all. The long answer is that it is probably not a planet at all! While many think that a dwarf planet is a planet, it is really more of a space debris. Because it is so small and dim, it is easy to miss, and even if you did find out something from a NASA space craft, there is no way to be sure that it is what you think it is.
Did you know that comets are generally not considered to be planets? They are only occasionally visited by spacecraft, but when they are, they generally not very welcoming destinations. We only visit comets when they are making their close passing by our earth. With all of the space debris that is in space, it is easy to forget about many of the smaller objects that are out there. Even though comets are not planets, is Pluto a planet in your solar system?
If you really want to know “is Pluto a planet”, the best answer is no. It is not a planet, and while it is small and faint, it is not a stable planet, and it is not safe to visit. So forget about it. There are other, much more exciting places to look for precious space debris.
Can we find other planets in our solar system? Indeed, we can. There is one planet that is believed to be a habitable planet – is Pluto a planet? The evidence is still unclear, and even NASA is at a loss as to how to actually find this planet.
If you really want to know “is Pluto a planet”, the best answer is no. However, if you want to get very technical, there is an argument that this space debris is actually good, and could be very important for our space exploration efforts. Many scientists believe that small pieces of space debris are essential for tracking space weather and getting a better understanding of the inner workings of the solar system. This is a very interesting and potentially exciting topic that I am personally very interested in. Just imagine being able to study space weather and how it affects our satellites!
If you really want to know “is Pluto a planet”, the only way to answer is YES. If you really want to get very technical, you should go read an astronomy book about it. If you do not have one, I highly recommend that you go online and look for a website that has a lot of information about this subject. One of the most famous (and popular) websites is NASA’s Space Blog. You can also check out Wikipedia and other space related sites.