We all remember learning the nine planets of the solar system when we were in school. And just like that, there were only eight! Poor Pluto! In 2006 the IAU (International Astronomical Union) demoted Pluto to nothing more than a “dwarf planet” when another rocky body, similar to Pluto, was discovered beyond Neptune.
But, on September 18 Harvard University hosted a debate about the controversial classification of Pluto and it seems quite a case was made to reinstate Pluto back to its former planet status. Although you may have heard rumors that Pluto is now a planet again, the debate was informal and no official decision has been made. The IAU meets again in Honolulu, Hawaii in August, 2015 and no official change will be made before then, at the earliest. Still, the Harvard debate has stirred up quite a bit of emotions concerning Pluto!
I was very surprised to find that my students have very strong opinions concerning the fate of Pluto, with some believing it should be reinstated as the ninth planet of our solar system and some not. Which got me thinking . . . what a great topic to get kids involved in current events in science! So, I want to challenge you to get your kids involved. Encourage them to do some research on the pros and cons of classifying Pluto as a planet and come to their own decision. Once they have, please have them share their opinion through this one question survey. I’ll share the results of the survey when it looks like a clear winner has emerged! (The survey is completely anonymous and no information is collected other than the answer to the one survey question!)
