| Do you know we have only 8 planets right now instead of 9? |
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Recently, the International committee on astronomy dropped Pluto from the list of planets in solar system. Pluto now is
a Dwarf Planet.
The decision to classify Pluto to a Dwarf Planet was done after years of observations and findings. The committee has given the following parameters for a space object to be classified as a planet: |
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- A planet should be in an orbit around the sun.
- It should have sufficient mass so that it can overcome forces from outside. Earth for example has enough mass so that it retains a round shape and no outside body from solar system can make it go away from its orbit, or disturb its equilibrium.
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- It doesn't intersect the plane of the orbit of other planets. This had to be incorporated into the definition of a planet, as it was observed that Pluto has a very elongated and strange orbit. Pluto was nearer to Earth than Neptune during some years, as its orbital plane intersected with Neptune 's orbital plane. A planet should have sufficient mass so as to have its own unique orbit and can have satellites. The phenomenon of not intersecting the planes has been named as "clearing the neighbourhood" by the International Astronomical Union.
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