Pluto was once considered the ninth planet in our solar system, but in 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) reclassified it as a dwarf planet. This decision was controversial at the time, but it has since come to be accepted by most scientists, yet not by my 9 year old son. In fact it is a hot political topic amongst our 5 kids, two thinking it should be a planet, two thinking it is not and one that just doesn’t care (she is 5 years old).

So what makes Pluto a dwarf planet? According to the IAU, a dwarf planet must meet three criteria:

1. It must orbit the Sun.
2. It must be massive enough to have cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.
3. It must not be a satellite of another object.

Pluto meets the first and third criteria, but it does not meet the second. Its orbit is highly inclined and elliptical, and it shares its orbit with many other Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs).

Despite its reclassification, Pluto remains a fascinating and important object in our solar system. It is the largest known KBO, and it has a complex and varied surface. Pluto is also home to five known moons, including Charon, which is so large that it is often considered to be a binary system with Pluto.

In 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto, providing us with the first ever close-up images of this dwarf planet. New Horizons revealed that Pluto is a dynamic and geologically active world. It has mountains of ice, glaciers, and even a heart-shaped region known as Tombaugh Regio.

New Horizons also discovered that Pluto has a thin atmosphere composed of nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide. This atmosphere is so thin that it would not support human life, but it is important for studying the evolution of Pluto’s surface.

Pluto is a truly unique and amazing world. It may not be a planet in the traditional sense, but it is still a fascinating and important member of our solar system.

New Discoveries about Pluto

In recent years, scientists have made a number of new discoveries about Pluto. For example, they have found that Pluto has a subsurface ocean of liquid water. This ocean is thought to be beneath a thick layer of ice, and it could potentially harbor life.

Scientists have also discovered that Pluto’s atmosphere is more dynamic than they thought. Pluto’s atmosphere is constantly changing, and it even has weather patterns.

The discovery of Pluto’s subsurface ocean and dynamic atmosphere has made Pluto even more intriguing to scientists. Pluto is now considered to be one of the most promising places in our solar system to look for life.

The Future of Pluto Exploration

NASA is currently considering sending another mission to Pluto. This mission would be more ambitious than New Horizons, and it would aim to study Pluto in more detail.

One possible mission would involve landing a probe on Pluto’s surface. This probe could study Pluto’s atmosphere, geology, and potential for life.

Another possible mission would involve sending a spacecraft into orbit around Pluto. This spacecraft could study Pluto and its moons in more detail over a longer period of time.

Whatever the future holds, Pluto is sure to remain a fascinating and important object of study for scientists. This dwarf planet has captured our imaginations, and it continues to reveal new secrets to us all the time.

©️ Rocky Mountain Dispatch 2023