Why Pluto is not a planet anymore

AccuWeather

There was a time when Pluto was still a planet, until 2006. The International Astronomical Union created three conditions required to constitute a planet, which demoted Pluto into a dwarf planet.

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00:00Some of us may remember being taught the planets of the solar system, including Pluto.

00:11Pluto was once considered a planet until 2006 when the International Astronomical Union

00:16reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet and created a new definition for what constitutes a planet.

00:23To be considered a planet, three criteria must be met.

00:26It must orbit the sun, it must be spherical in shape due to the force of its gravity,

00:31and it cannot share its orbit with other objects like asteroids or other dwarf planets.

00:37Although Pluto meets the first two criteria, it does not meet the last.

00:41Pluto's orbit intersects with Neptune's orbit.

00:44Additionally, there is an abundance of space rock and debris that litters the same path

00:48Pluto takes around the sun.

00:51The definition of a planet was changed as many more worlds were being discovered in

00:55the depths of our solar system, including some like Eris, which is more massive than

00:59Pluto.

01:00Which is why Pluto is no longer a planet.

01:03Reporting for AccuWeather, I'm Ariella Scalise.

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