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Pluto stopped being a planet 20 years ago. Why people still care
The 2006 vote followed Eris’s discovery and set a formal planet definition that Pluto still fails because it has not cleared its orbit.
- On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet, a decision that remains in effect two decades later and continues to spark debate among scientists and the public.
- The International Astronomical Union's 2006 vote followed the 2005 discovery of Eris, an icy world beyond Pluto that is more massive, forcing scientists to establish a formal definition of the word "planet" for the first time.
- At its Prague General Assembly, the International Astronomical Union established that a planet must orbit the Sun, be round, and clear its orbital neighborhood; Pluto failed the third requirement because it shares its path with many Kuiper Belt objects.
- The reclassification sparked widespread public debate, with students, teachers, and some astronomers objecting to the change, as generations had learned the nine planets through mnemonics like "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas" for 76 years.
- As astronomers continue discovering unusual worlds beyond the Sun, the question that divided scientists in 2006 remains difficult to answer, reflecting ongoing debate over what exactly qualifies as a planet.
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19 Articles
19 Articles
Forbidden planet: was Pluto’s 2006 demotion a big mistake?
Twenty years after the International Astronomical Union demoted Pluto to dwarf planet status in 2006, scientists and enthusiasts remain divided over whether the decision was justified, with ongoing debates about planetary classification criteria.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources19
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center13Last UpdatedBias Distribution69% Center
Bias Distribution
- 69% of the sources are Center
69% Center
L 26%
C 69%
Factuality
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