We have written this article to tell you about a recent statement made by NASA’s administrator that might shock you a little bit.
So, 13 years ago Pluto was declared a dwarf planet and most of the people seemed to embrace the idea. Other people just couldn’t agree with it and recently, a very important man who works for NASA has joined them.
What Jim Bridenstine had to say about this issue?
Well, from NASA’s administrator point of view, Pluto is still a planet just like the other ones from the Solar System. He said that recently when we was in a tour at the University of Colorado Boulder. The only reason he said that is the fact that traditionally, we have been taught that Pluto is a planet and he got used to the old idea.
However, nothing has changed
Jim Bridenstine’s statement was not based on scientific facts and we can’t change our opinion now if we don’t have concrete evidence. Most of the experts are still supporting the idea that Pluto is a dwarf planet. They declared that in the first place for a reason and they will stick to that.
But, how about the objects that have the same size as Pluto? Alan Stern who leads NASA’s New Horizon mission has some issues with the fact that Pluto was excluded from the list of planets present in the Solar System. He is not the only one who thinks that way.
They all think that the IAU definition for Pluto is flawed and it doesn’t have enough arguments to support it. These scientists are against the idea that Pluto didn’t clear the neighborhood around its orbit. That’s the case of other planets as well and no one excludes them from the list of planets in the Solar System.
The debate will definitely continue and we’ll keep you updated about it.
As our second lead editor, Anna C. Mackinno provides guidance on the stories Great Lakes Ledger reporters cover. She has been instrumental in making sure the content on the site is clear and accurate for our readers. If you see a particularly clever title, you can likely thank Anna. Anna received a BA and and MA from Fordham University.