Published 15:40 IST, August 29th 2019
'Pluto is a planet', declares NASA chief, 13 years since its demotion
NASA chief Jim Bridenstine has advocated for Pluto's planetary status while addressing a press conference on August 23 saying, "In my view Pluto is a planet."
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Pluto, a planet again?
debate for coldest dwarf planet Pluto's planetary status has been a heated one. Since 2006, when International Astromical Union (IAU) downgraded Pluto to a dwarf planet. This debate has heated up time and again with many heavyweights throwing ir support for Pluto. This time it is NASA chief Jim Bridenstine who has advocated for Pluto's planetary status while addressing a press conference on August 23, as per international news reports. He had anunced that Pluto is a planet in his view, and press can tell world that Administrator of NASA said so.
"Just so you kw, in my view, Pluto is a planet. You can write that NASA administrator declared Pluto a planet once again. It's way I learned it. I am committed to it," said Bridenstine while addressing a robotics event in Colorado. Video of NASA chief proclaiming Pluto a planet has been circulating on Twitter.
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Pluto's demotion to dwarf planet
IAU had downgraded Pluto's status in August 2006 as it did t meet three criteria IAU uses to define a full-sized planet. It failed to meet criteria - 'has t cleared its neighboring region of or objects', according to IAU. Rewned American Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson describes himself as an “accessory” to decision made by International Astromical Union (IAU). He has stated that as it failed to meet third criteria, Pluto belongs “with its or icy brethren in outer solar system.”
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Pluto's Earth-like qualities
Meanwhile, in 2018, a new study published in Science revealed that dwarf planet has dunes. se dunes are t like sand dunes on Earth but are made from solid methane ice grains. Dunes are rare in or planets in our solar system with only Earth, Mars, Venus, Saturn's moon Titan, and Comet 67P containing. With this discovery made on Pluto, scientists had concluded that it still has Earth-like characteristics, despite being 30 times furr away from sun as Earth. This had added to pro-Pluto debate, with renewed calls for restoration in its planetary status.
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Winter is coming to Pluto
Recently, scientists had discovered that Pluto would freeze over soon. Pluto which is farst from Sun and has longest orbit, takes 248 Earth years for orbiting body to complete one revolution around Sun. Its surface temperature is between minus 378 and minus 396 degrees Fahrenheit. This has made scientists to model seasons on Pluto and how those react to amount of sunlight it receives during different parts of its orbit. y have recently come to conclusion in 2030 when winter will be coming to Pluto, nitrogen-heavy atmosphere could collapse entirely and fall, turning into a layer of solid frost.
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15:27 IST, August 29th 2019