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NASA Chief Wants Pluto Reinstated as a Planet
- On Tuesday, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations he is "very much in the camp of 'make Pluto a planet again'" while preparing scientific papers to revisit the classification.
- The International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a "dwarf planet" in 2006 after establishing criteria requiring objects to orbit the sun, be spherical, and clear their orbital neighborhood of debris.
- Isaacman aims to escalate a scientific proposal to honor Clyde Tombaugh, the American astronomer who discovered Pluto in 1930, while critics argue the current IAU definition is "unscientific and inconsistent" in its application.
- California Institute of Technology professor Mike Brown maintains that the IAU holds ultimate authority over planetary definitions, emphasizing that scientists must classify objects based on understanding the solar system rather than nostalgia.
- NASA is preparing scientific papers to revisit the discussion, building on findings from the 2015 New Horizons flyby that revealed towering ice mountains and the iconic "heart" region on Pluto's surface.
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61 Articles
61 Articles
Will Demoted Pluto Be Reinstated After 20 Years? NASA Rekindles Planet Debate. NASA Head Says Pluto Should Be Reclassified as a Planet; Symbolism as the Only Planet Discovered by Americans Also Plays a Role. Experts Say Reinstatement Will Not Be Easy Due to Many Similar Outer Planets. Pluto, which stepped down as the ninth planet of the solar system in 2006...
Coverage Details
Total News Sources61
Leaning Left10Leaning Right10Center22Last UpdatedBias Distribution52% Center
Bias Distribution
- 52% of the sources are Center
52% Center
L 24%
C 52%
R 24%
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