On the basis of the new definition of planet given by the IAU (international astronomical union), the world’s top institution on space science research, leading astronomers participating in IAU’s meet at Prague (Czech republic) on august 24, 2006, declared that Pluto would no longer remain a planet .
Under the IAU’s new guidelines, the member of planet in the solar system has thus been reduced from nine to eight, its merits mentioning here that. Prior to this decision, Pluto had been holding the planetary status since its discovery in 1930 by clyde Tombaugh.
Now with the omission of Pluto from the solar system, its membership has been restricted to the eight “classical” planets, namely mercury, Venus, earth, mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
- Pluto gets a numerical denomination.
Week after it was demoted to a sub-planetary status, Pluto was given a new name to reflect its new status as a dwarf planet in September 2006. The former ninth planet was assigned the asteroid number 134340 by the minor planet center (MPC), the official organization responsible for collecting data about asteroids and comets in our solar system.
Pluto’s companion satellites, charon (Pluto’s largest moon), nix and hydra are considered part of the same system and will not be assigned separate asteroid numbers, instead they will now be called 134340 I,II AND III respectively.
Before loosing its planetary status on 24th august 2006 Pluto was the outermost planet of the solar system.
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