An official at NASA said earlier this week Pluto should no longer be considered a ‘dwarf planet.’
Our solar system has only contained eight planets since 2006 when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded the status of Pluto, prompting a select few to stand up for the distant planetary body.
NASA's administrator visited CU Boulder Friday. He talked about lunar and Mars missions, Colorado aerospace, and women’s role in space. https://t.co/fMFVzFPdaW
— Cory Reppenhagen (@CReppWx) August 25, 2019
Now you can add NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine to the list of individuals who stand for Pluto’s planetary rights. During a tour of the Aerospace Engineering Science Building at the University of Colorado Boulder, Bridenstine said, “Just so you know, in my view, Pluto is a planet,”
Recently, researchers at the University of Central Florida have suggested that Pluto’s declassification back in 2006 was not valid.
“We now have a list of well over 100 recent examples of planetary scientists using the word planet in a way that violates the IAU definition, but they are doing it because it’s functionally useful,” says UCF alumnus Philip Metzger.
Metzger in a 2018 article said Pluto is “more dynamic and alive than Mars,” and “the only planet that has more complex geology than the Earth.”
Pluto is still considered a ‘dwarf planet’ by most scholars.
