Pluto is located 7.5 billion kilometers from Earth and is only over 2,000 km in diameter. Pluto has been labeled both a planet and a dwarf planet over the years. As said by USA Today, “a planet is a celestial body that: is in orbit around the sun, is round or nearly round, and has "cleared the neighborhood" around its orbit, meaning it is not surrounded by objects of similar size and characteristics.” Pluto only follows two of the three rules of a planet. Pluto crosses over Neptune’s orbit and is near other dwarf planets like it. Even though it breaks one rule it was officially named a dwarf planet in “August 2006”, as stated by the Library of Congress. After this event Pluto still only has one correct classification. Pluto is a planet because …show more content…
it has all the qualities that any other planet has. According to Discovery Education, “astronomers continue to emphasize the planetary characteristics that Pluto does have.
In addition to its moons, Pluto has a core, geology, seasons, and an atmosphere. Alan Stern is a planetary scientist with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA). According to Stern, “I can’t think of a single distinguishing characteristic that would set apart Pluto and other things that you’d call a planet, other than its size. So I like to say, ‘a Chihuahua is still a dog.’” Also from Discovery Education the text states, “Other astronomers have noted that their colleagues sometimes call Jupiter a giant planet. Why can’t Pluto be called a dwarf planet without being downgraded from planet status?” Another fact stated from Discovery Education was, “about 90% of the planets known to astronomers are outside Earth’s solar system. Some of these extra-solar planets do not fit the IAU’s definition of a planet. Yet IAU astronomers still refer to them as planets.” USA Today stated, “The debate among Gingerich, Williams and Dimitar Sasselov, director of the Harvard Origins of Life Initiative, took place Sept. 18 with scientists, teachers and civilians watching. Two of the three, Gingerich and Sasselov, said Pluto should be a planet. A vote among audience members agreed.” Another statement mentioned by USA Today was, “Harvard science historian Owen Gingerich, who chairs the IAU planet definition committee, argued at a forum last month that "a planet is a culturally defined word that changes over time," and that Pluto is a planet.” Finally from CNN they interviewed Alan Stern, a member of NASA, who said, “We're just learning that a lot of planets are small planets, and we didn't know that before” and “Fact is, in planetary science, objects such as Pluto and the other dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt are considered planets and called planets in everyday discourse in scientific
meetings.” When the reading from Discovery Education says the Pluto has moons, seasons, an atmosphere, and a core, it makes it clear that Pluto has the features as any planet. This shows that Pluto is just as much of a planet as Earth. When the text mentions that a Chihuahua is no less of a dog than Pluto is a planet, it shows that size doesn’t have to determine what Pluto is classified as. If Pluto were to be slightly bigger it would be able to accomplish the third qualification of a planet where a planet must clear its neighbors. This is because with a larger planet with more mass the gravitational force would be stronger and allow it to clear objects around it easily just like a planet such as Saturn is able to do. This goes along with the text saying that Jupiter is known as a giant planet and that it would not make sense for Pluto to be downgraded from a planet just because it is small. Even when planet sizes are different it should not change what their classification is. From knowing that most of the planets that we know of are outside of our solar system and don’t fit the definition of a planet but still are known as such demonstrates that there are planets that don’t follow the IAU’s rules of what a planet is. Therefore to be a planet, Pluto doesn’t have to follow all of the standards that define a true planet. Also when USA Today talked about the debate of Pluto’s status between scientists and civilians it made it apparent that Pluto is seen as a planet in scientific eyes and not just in civilian eyes. From knowing that the definition of a planet can change over time it shows that in the next few years Pluto could be officially made a planet. Also that Pluto could have been wrongly defined as dwarf planet. This is also shown similarly when the text says that other planets we are finding out about currently are also like Pluto. All of the information shows that Pluto is like any other celestial object classified as a planet. Pluto might be said to be a dwarf planet, but it is a planet. There might be some speculation on the rules of what a planet is, but the meaning of a planet can change over time and more discoveries are being made on planets. This could change what Pluto is officially classified as. Not only is Pluto truly a planet, but it is only a matter of time before it is officially known as such.
From a crab to a barnacle, crustaceans are a diverse group of animals that inhabit much of the world. This lesson will explore what it means to be a crustacean and will also provide some example organisms.
It was at first thought to be bigger than Pluto later it ended up being somewhat smaller than Pluto. Eris finishes one rotation around the Sun in 580 years. Eris is the reason why Pluto’s planetary status was changed to being a dwarf planet. The Kuiper Belt has a section called Classic Kuiper Belt. This is the busiest area of this belt and is situated at a distance of around 42 to 48 AU. In the beginning, when the solar system was created gas, dust and rocks, came together to form planets. Most of the debris was swept away by gravitational pull for those planets, but some debris survived because they were far enough away to not be affected by the gravitational pull for those planets. Finding the Kuiper Belt gave us more insight into the mystery of the objects located in the Kuiper belt. Most KBO’s are so far away that their measurements cannot be concretely calculated. By using the data collected by the Spitzer space Telescope most of the KBO’s have known sizes. In 2015 the New Horizon Spacecraft flew past Pluto for an up close exploration of the Kuiper Belt Objects. The primary real expectation of the Kuiper belt's presence, most planetary researchers now agree, originated from Uruguayan cosmologist Julio
Dalton’s atomic theory, which stated “the atoms were tiny, indivisible, indestructible particles” (Bender), differed drastically from that of the Greeks’ in that it “wasn’t just a philosophical statement that there are atoms because there must be atoms” (Bender). Although Aristotle believed that there are four terrestrial elements, earth, water, air, and fire, Democratus believed that “a piece of a substance can be divided into smaller pieces of that substance until we get down to a fundamental level at which you can’t divide the substance up and still have pieces of that substance” (“Atoms”). Aristotle’s theory was popular, but incorrect; Democratus’s was closer to our current theory, yet he remained relatively unpopular and obscure. This demonstrates of the key way in which a personal point of view can, in fact, retard the pursuit of knowledge. The scientist with the better oratory abilities has his theories more widely accepted. Dalton’s own theory, which extrapolated upon four basic
... Americans take for granted the technology that saves their lives in car crashes, firefighting, airplane crashes, and countless other applications. Much of the generation from the 1960’s may remember how inspired they felt by NASA’s ambition to do something as amazing as walk on the moon. Today, that inspiration is found in many smaller; yet still significant, creations for NASA programs. Somebody once dreamed of capturing an asteroid, and now NASA strives to make that dream come true. For those people who stare at the sky and question the twinkling lights blinking at them, NASA endeavors to study the more advanced systems of stars by using Pluto as a scale model. Simply because they promote better inventions, encourage creative dreams, and produce new actualities, NASA programs are worth every penny and Americans need to reconsider where they would be without NASA.
Arguably, in the history of ideas, Plato has planted the strongest and deepest seeds to the mind of humans and we have been pondering and trying to exercise them ever since. His “theory of forms” will be discussed, and somewhat hesitantly dismissed, in the context as he writes in the works of “The Republic”, because his theory is sound the same way math equations are sound and lead to undisputable answers, but problematic in how it can be proved and to whom it actually benefits will always vary. The definition of knowledge is too undetermined for Plato’s ideas to be necessary. Lastly his notion that philosopher kings must rule the ideal city will be decisively dismissed because the word “ideal” leaves room for creation and I argue that permanent procedures can be placed in the “ideal” society, which leaves open the position or positions of power for anyone to operate and the philosopher king no longer is needed for the “ideal” city to it run.
“In a fraught fiscal climate, NASA should focus on what it does best and on what offers the best return on investment. Solar system exploration meets both criteria: the U.S. has long led the interplanetary charge, and the resulting scientific benefits have come at a relative bargain. This year NASA 's planetary science program cost about $1.5 billion -- less than what NASA spent designing a congressionally mandated rocket, the Space Launch System, which appears more likely to satisfy aerospace contractors than to aid the cause of space exploration. Such directives from lawmakers all too often land in NASA 's lap without the funds to carry them out (To The
Now that Pluto is no longer included, how many planets are there left in the Solar System?
Pluto: A Planet of the Earth? Many issues have arisen from the debate over whether or not Pluto is a planet. Some astronomers say that Pluto should be classified as a “minor planet” due to its size, physical characteristics, and other factors. On the other hand, some astronomers defend Pluto’s planet status, citing several key features. Indeed, most of the problem is that there is no formal definition of a planet.
Pluto is usually farther from the Sun than any of the nine planets; however, due to the eccentricity of its orbit, it is closer than Neptune for 20 years out of its 249 year orbit. Pluto crossed Neptune's orbit January 21, 1979, made its closest approach September 5, 1989, and will remain within the orbit of Neptune until February 11, 1999. This will not occur again until September 2226.
Humans are members of the Earth's community of life in the same sense and on the same terms as other living things.
2,870,990,000 km (19.218 AU) from the Sun, Uranus hangs on the wall of space as a mysterious blue green planet. With a mass of 8.683e25 kg and a diameter of 51,118 km at the equator, Uranus is the third largest planet in our solar system. It has been described as a planet that was slugged a few billion years ago by a large onrushing object, knocked down (never to get up), and now proceeds to roll around an 84-year orbit on its belly. As the strangest of the Jovian planets, the description is accurate. Uranus has a 17 hour and 14 minute day and takes 84 years to make its way about the sun with an axis tilted at around 90° with retrograde rotation. Stranger still is the fact that Uranus' axis is almost parallel to the ecliptic, hence the expression "on its belly".
Space, an entire universe of planets, stars, and galaxies have sat out on earths horizon since the beginning of time. Every day we further our progress into this massive dark abyss, and consequently by furthering our technological reach we also take that next big step. We extend the range of the human race. With great power must come great responsibility, that is why The National Aeronautics and Space Administration more commonly known as NASA has officially created and filled their latest position, Planetary Protection Officer.
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun and the largest planet in the solar system. It is known as a gas giant and its mass is one thousandth of the mass of the sun, however, its mass is two and a half times the mass of all the planets in the solar system combined. It is considered a gas giant along with the three other planets Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune. These four planets are referred to as the Jovian planets or outer planets. The planet was known by astronomers since ancient times which may be one of the reasons the Romans named the planet after their Roman god Jupiter.
I had no idea that there were five different ones, and that is because everyone talks about Pluto, as if it were a planet. That tells me that it should be a planet and it shouldn’t be a dwarf planet because it still does orbit the sun just like any other planet. This is practically the only difference that Pluto and the other planets don’t have in common. There are three requirements for a planet to pass for it to become a planet. The three requirements are; orbit around the sun, be spherical, and be the biggest thing in it’s orbit.
Our solar system has eight planets, their moons and satellites, and they are all orbiting the Sun. The eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto used to be the ninth planet but IAU changed the definition of planet and Pluto did not meet the standards so it is now a Dwarf planet.