We all have read the story of nine planets in our childhood. Pluto is said to be the smallest and most distant planet in the solar system. According to religious beliefs, even today there are nine planets and they are worshipped. But only eight planets are mentioned in the books. Because on August 26, 2006, Pluto was removed from the category of planets and it was termed as Dwarf Planet. Let us know why the crown of the ninth planet was snatched from the ‘God of Darkness’ and what is its story?
Pluto was discovered in the year 1930. Astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh identified it during research at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, USA. At the same time, the International Astronomical Union had recognized it as the 9th planet. For about 76 years it was considered as a planet. The story behind its name is also interesting. When it came to naming, the scientists sought suggestions from the people. That’s why Venetia Burne, an 11th student at the Oxford School of London, suggested the name Pluto. He said that in Rome the god of darkness is called Pluto. And since this planet orbits in the darkness of the solar system, it should be named Pluto. Scientists have also confirmed this.
That’s why the status of the ninth planet was snatched
Scientists could not find any other body till 62 years after the discovery of Pluto. However, in the 1990s, astronomers began to find many such things in the Solar System that were like Pluto. After this a new debate broke out. Some astronomers used to think that Pluto does not revolve around the Sun in the same way that other planets do. That’s why it should not be considered as a planet of the solar system. Sometimes it was very close to the sun and sometimes very far away. Its revolving orbit was also not the same. From a distance, its and Neptune’s orbit were seen cutting each other. Not only this, scientists found many such things in the circle around Neptune’s orbit which were similar to Pluto’s.
Two and a half thousand astronomers set the conditions
In 2006, 2500 astronomers gathered in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, to decide the fate of Pluto. Voting was done after hours of brainstorming. In this, the number of people who did not consider Pluto as a planet was more. That’s why it was excluded from the list of planets. Then three standards were set to consider a body as a planet. First, it is necessary to revolve around the Sun. Second, it must be at least large enough to be spherical under its own gravity. And the third condition was that it could create an independent orbit by separating itself from other asteroids. Pluto did not live up to all the three standards. However, many astronomers still believe that it was a mistake to take away the status of the planet from him and he should be given the same recognition again.
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FIRST PUBLISHED : March 15, 2023, 14:40 IST