Watch CBS News

Should Pluto Be A Planet Again?

Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook  | Twitter

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – New research just published suggests Pluto should be reclassified as a planet.

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded Pluto to a dwarf planet.

The IAU defines a planet as having the largest gravitational force in its orbit, which disqualifies Pluto, because it is under the influence of Neptune's gravity.

Recent Army Military Police School Graduate Returns Home On 17th Anniversary Of 9/11 

However, a planetary scientist in Florida now says that shouldn't be the criteria.

He says the definition of a planet should be based on its intrinsic properties, rather than ones that can change; such has the dynamics of a planet's orbit.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue