Declassifying Pluto Teaches Us to Look to the Future

Declassifying Pluto Teaches Us to Look to the Future

By Leonardo Qin
Grade 6

Dear Editor,

Pluto was a pretty interesting planet, with its weird orbit and the simple materials that make up Pluto. However, scientists reclassified Pluto in 2006, and it has sparked debate ever since. What happened? Well, before 2006, the word “planet” didn’t really have an official definition. Before that, we considered everything that moved around the sun a planet, but in the 1990s, astronomers discovered that the planet Pluto traveled around the Kuiper belt, a vast sea of debris, which scientists called KBOs (Kuiper Belt objects). Some of these KBOs were very much like Pluto, which caused them to rethink the definition of a planet and Pluto’s status. In 2006, when the definition was released, scientists reclassified Pluto because it didn’t meet the requirements. Pluto should be a dwarf planet because Pluto doesn’t fit with the other planets due to the fact that it has a crowded neighborhood, there are many other objects that are like Pluto, and also because it has a unique shape and orbit.

One reason Pluto shouldn’t be a planet is that Pluto isn’t by itself, unlike the other planets. For example, the other current planets have decently clear orbits, except for some occasional asteroids and their moons; few objects block them or fly around in their path. However, Pluto shares its path with hundreds of KBOs that are in the Kuiper Belt and doesn’t stand out as a planet like the others. The text What is a Planet states, “The problem for Pluto is the fact that its orbit is in the Kuiper Belt along with 43 other known KBOs. There are possibly billions of objects in the Kuiper Belt that have not been cataloged yet.” (pg. 4) This is caused by Pluto’s gravitational pull not being strong enough to slingshot the objects out of its way. It makes Pluto look “weak” and not dense enough to be a big, giant object like a planet. Because of this, Pluto doesn’t fit with the other planets well.

Another reason Pluto doesn’t fit as a planet is that it has a unique orbit and is made of different materials than the planets that we know of. First, Pluto’s orbit is very tilted, at a 17 degrees angle. For reference, Earth’s tilt is 1.5 degrees. Tilting it will make Pluto look odd, and make its orbit seem awkward. Second, Pluto is made of rock and ice. The other planets are made mostly of more complex materials, such as a core or a complex atmosphere, but Pluto is just rock and ice. The text When is a Planet Not a Planet? states, “But over time, scientists realized that Pluto was unusual. It was extremely small and made mostly of ice.” This provides further that Pluto doesn’t fit in with the other planets and how it doesn’t seem like what you expect of a planet in the solar system.

Lastly, there are many other objects in the Kuiper Belt that are very much like Pluto. For example, the text What is a Planet says, “It was the recent discovery of an object larger than Pluto within the Kuiper Belt that changed everything. Is this object, now named Eris, our 10th planet, since it is larger than Pluto?” This shows how there is one such object, Eris, which is even bigger than Pluto. So technically, if Pluto is a planet, then shouldn’t Eris have the right to be a planet even more, since it’s bigger than Pluto? Other objects similar to Eris also dwell the Kuiper Belt, waiting to be found. If Pluto is a planet, then the number of objects made of just rock and ice classified as planets will skyrocket to more than 20. This will make the planets of the solar system difficult to remember (and put on models) and make the solar system slightly boring, too.

However, some people view the third criterion of the definition of the word planet – the reason they reclassified Pluto in the first place – as unclear. For example, what do they mean to have cleared objects out of the way of its orbit? The answer to this question is simple. Though it might be slightly unclear, the concept is easy to follow and easy to understand. As astronomer Mike Brown words it in the text When is a Planet Not a Planet?, ”The precise definition…may be a tad unclear, but the concept is actually rock solid with no room for doubt about which objects do and do not belong.” This proves that while the definition may not be exact and precise, it’s obvious what passes the criterion and what doesn’t.

While there are many arguments against the fact that Pluto is not a planet anymore, Pluto still should not be a planet. Pluto doesn’t meet the requirements of a planet and doesn’t fit in, and if Pluto were a planet, more KBOs and dwarf planets should join in too, causing chaos. Even though Pluto isn’t a planet anymore, we won’t forget about it and it will still be on our minds. However, we need to know that changes are common in life and in the science world, from vaccines and medicine techniques to buildings of bomb and storm shelters. We need to know how to deal with them, learn from them, and accept them.

Sincerely,
Leonardo Qin from VSA