Jared Isaacman, the head of NASA, wants to bring Pluto back to its past glory. The head of the US space agency said on April 28 that he strongly supports the idea of “making Pluto a planet again.” But experts say the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the only organization that can really determine Pluto’s position.
Pluto is once again in the news! No, no one is complaining about being a “dwarf planet.” Pluto now has a defender: Jared Isaacman, head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), who wants to bring it back to its past glory.
It was changed from a planet to a dwarf planet in 2006, which caused a lot of debate. Many people said it was “unscientific and inconsistent” in its use. Isaacman now wants Pluto to be a planet again. But, is that really possible?
Pluto is once again in the news! What the head of NASA said
On April 28, Isaacman was speaking before the US Senate Committee on Appropriations about the White House’s request for a NASA budget for 2027. Republican Senator Jerry Moran asked Isaacman what he thought about Pluto.
The head of NASA responded, “Senator, I strongly support making Pluto a planet again.”
Isaacman said, “Also, I would say that we are working on some papers right now on a position that we would love to push through the scientific community to bring this issue up again and make sure that Clyde Tombaugh gets the credit he deserves again.”
Sciam reported that the argument resumed after US President Donald Trump said he might be able to make Pluto a planet through an executive order.
Pluto might turn back into a planet. What experts say
Even though many experts and now the head of NASA, have tried to change things, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the final authority on Pluto’s position.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is a group of skilled scientists from around the world who work together to define celestial objects and give them official names.
The organization is the only one that can decide to change how planets are classified.
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Who Gets to Say If Pluto Is A Planet?
NASA can change the conversation, but it doesn’t make the final decision. The International Astronomical Union (IAU), which is the biggest professional group for scientists in the world, has that power. The group is in charge of giving names and groups to celestial objects. For now, all NASA can do is push for a review and urge scientists to talk about the problem.
Why Pluto is no longer a planet
In 2006, the IAU changed the rules for what makes a planet, which meant Pluto was no longer a planet. Three things must be true for something to be called a planet:
- It has to go around the Sun.
- It needs to be big enough for gravity to turn it around.
- It needs to get rid of any junk in its orbital neighborhood.
The first two boxes are checked by Pluto. There’s something wrong with the third. Other objects in the Kuiper Belt share Pluto’s orbital path, which means it hasn’t “cleared the neighborhood” around it. It was then changed to a dwarf planet because of this.
Could Things Get Better?
The big question is whether the IAU will change its mind now that the debate is back after almost 20 years. As of right now, nothing has really changed. Pluto is still a small planet. But now that NASA’s top boss has said he wants it to come back, this old cosmic fight may not be over yet. In all honesty, Pluto probably likes all the attention.
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In what way is Pluto not a planet?
The IAU says that a planet must circle the Sun and not another planet. It needs to be very heavy so that its gravity can make it into a shape that is almost spherical. Until then, Pluto fits the bill.
Why is Pluto not a planet
To be a planet, an object must be big enough that it clears the path of its orbit around the sun of other objects that are also orbiting the sun. Pluto has not been able to do this, but the eight recognized planets have.
And that’s the reason Pluto isn’t a real planet. Because of this, it is called a dwarf planet, along with Eris and other big bodies like Haumea, Makemake, and Ceres.
The actor told The Independent, “Of course Pluto is a planet, but it’s a dwarf planet, which is a type of planet.” There are a lot of people who want to say whether dwarf planets are planets or not. It’s not worth the time.
NASA says that scientist Clyde Tombaugh found Pluto in 1930. An English girl, Venetia Burney, who was 11, called it after the Greek god of the underworld. It used to be known as the ninth planet in the solar system, but in 2006, it was changed to a dwarf planet.
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