why pluto is no longer considered a planet?
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why pluto is no longer considered a planet?
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The International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded the status of Pluto to that of a dwarf planet because it did not meet the three criteria the IAU uses to define a full-sized planet. Essentially Pluto meets all the criteria except one—it “has not cleared its neighboring region of other objects.”
Answer:
- pluto's gravity has not cleared its orbit of other matter and therefore it no longer fits the modern definition of planet.
- because pluto is now classified as dwarf planet, it is not big enough to exert its orbital dominance and clear the neighborhood surrounding its orbit.