<p>Yes, Pluto is still a dwarf planet. According to the <a href="http://www.iau.org/public/themes/pluto/" rel="noreferrer">IAU website</a>, it still fits the criteria for a dwarf planet, fails to meet the criteria for a planet, and still carries the "dwarf planet" label, whatever its future status may be. I'm sorry I can't provide a longer or more detailed answer, but this is really a yes-or-no question.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-05T15:28:11.270Z
@Omen Thanks. My answer is boring, but I couldn't find much else. I decided to avoid Wikipedia for this one.
HDE 226868
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-05T15:41:46.513Z
@Omen We'll see. Low views for the question so far. . . But good upvotes for the question itself.
HDE 226868
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-05T15:13:27.003Z
2015-06-03T12:27:12.603Z
2015-06-03T12:27:12.603Z
HDE 226868
<p>Pluto will continue to be exactly Pluto no matter how we choose to categorize it. Fretting about the &quot;proper&quot; category is the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180712164510/https://richarddawkins.net/2013/01/the-tyranny-of-the-discontinuous-mind-christmas-2011/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">tyranny of the discontinuous mind</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-01-21T19:01:34.653Z
Note that Dawkins used the phrase earlier in "The Ancestor's Tale," in a much less political context.
rob
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-06T01:07:01.680Z
In that case, we're all tyrants. Richard Dawkins can be an atheist's best friend, but at the moment he's irrelevant. It's a deep answer, though. Philosophical.
HDE 226868
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-06T01:15:58.350Z
I cited Dawkins because I know I cribbed the phrase from somewhere (Dennet, Hofstadter, maybe?) but didn't look real hard for the source. The Dawkins article was more political than I wanted, but it did cover the concept well. And yes, we are all categorizing "tyrants" except those who have stars on our bellies; even Dr. Seuss gets philosophical at at times.
msw
CC BY-SA 4.0
2014-10-06T00:59:54.643Z
2024-01-21T19:01:02.170Z
2024-01-21T19:01:02.170Z
msw
<p>Currently, Pluto is very much a dwarf planet.
I don't think Pluto will ever be reinstated as a planet again . . .
On the the pro-planet side, Pluto has five moons, which can possibly qualify it as a planet.
On the no-planet side, Pluto has a mass of 1.30900 × 10^22 kilograms, which is much lower than the currently smallest planet, Mercury, which weighs 3.285 x 10^23 kilograms. Also, the diameter of Mercury is 4,879.4 km across, while Pluto’s diameter is 2,360 km across. Big difference. Really.
I'm pretty sure Pluto won't be called a planet again, but I can't be certain.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-06-22T23:08:24.160Z
One argument I dislike is the one with the moons. It's a problem for Mercury and Venus, and even Earth has no more moons than many an asteroid or dwarf planet.
Oscar Lanzi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2015-05-25T15:01:33.887Z
2023-06-24T10:19:21.330Z
2023-06-24T10:19:21.330Z
Rohit Nutalapati
<p><a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.15285" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Moons Are Planets: Scientific Usefulness Versus Cultural Teleology in the Taxonomy of Planetary Science</a> is a 2021 paper that outlines a thesis that:</p>
<ul>
<li>Until the 20th century, the term 'planet' always included the Moon.</li>
<li>That the fields of planetary science -- oceans, atmospheres, (cryo-) volcanism, complex ice and silicate chemistry -- do not care about orbital structure, and that these are found on larger satellites, Pluto and Ceres.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/5skC3.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/5skC3.png" alt="Venn diagram of planets and their shared properties" /></a></p>
<ul>
<li>That the IAU was unduly influenced by dynamicists, who typically care very little about the properties of the planet beyond its mass and orbit, and that the vote should not have taken place.</li>
<li>That a definition of planet as &quot;big enough for gravitational compression, not so big it's undergoing fusion&quot; encompasses the domain in which complex chemical behaviours are uniquely found within the universe, and that such a definition has useful descriptive value, unlike the IAU definition.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-06-22T02:53:11.573Z
Dissident view of some astronomers doesn’t change the official decision of the IAU…
Pierre Paquette
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-06-22T01:25:53.910Z
2023-07-06T23:01:33.933Z
2023-07-06T23:01:33.933Z
Dragon
<p>In the end, astronomers can call anything they want a &quot;planet&quot;. However, some form of distinction should be made between objects that clear their neighborhoods and those that do not. Clearing the neighborhood is a major structural feature of our Solar System, for it leads to the small bodies that make up most of the Solar System's population being largely confined to specific belts and zones.</p>
<p>Earth is one of a select group objects responsible for that, and so is Mercury. Pluto and Ceres cannot really be their equals no matter what words we choose as labels.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-06-22T23:19:14.403Z
2024-01-16T00:33:07.750Z
2024-01-16T00:33:07.750Z
Oscar Lanzi
<p>Only the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has the mandate to decide what is or is not a planet or a dwarf planet. Or, as Keith Thompson rightfully pointed out, about what the word “planet” and the expression “dwarf planet” mean in English.</p>
<p>The IAU holds a General Assembly every three years. The next one is schedule for August 2024 (in Cape Town, South Africa). I doubt the issue of Pluto will be at the agenda, despite popular media claims and complaints by multiple professional astronomers.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-06-22T02:52:05.957Z
2023-06-22T02:52:05.957Z
Pierre Paquette
<p>Yes, Pluto is a dwarf planet, along with Ceres and Eris which are in the Solar System. It was classified a dwarf planet in 2006 or 2007. Sorry for my inaccurate answer.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-28T04:25:11.727Z
2014-10-28T04:25:11.727Z
Juka
<p>When Piazzi discovered 1Ceres in 1801, it was designated as a planet, and so was several more asteroids as they were discovered in the next few years until they figured out that they were all very small objects in a belt. Pluto was not the first to be demoted. Once others like Pluto was discovered and they realized that it was just one of many, even the largest of many, it was duly demoted.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-01-21T04:54:40.600Z
2024-01-21T04:54:40.600Z
Pogo
<p>Recent news seem to suggest that astronomers are arguing about whether Pluto should become a planet again.</p>

<p>However, I cannot find an official source for this. Is this actually true?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-26T04:09:36.470Z
No, don't destroy Pluto, just move it into a clearer orbit so it meets all three criteria.
Keith Thompson
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-06-22T23:06:30.940Z
It's still a dwarf planet.
Oscar Lanzi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-05T15:13:53.237Z
There is only one way to end this conflict once and for all... destroy Pluto
toniedzwiedz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-05T15:15:12.890Z
@Tom I doubt the [New Horizons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons) probe has an explosive device on board. :-)
HDE 226868
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-05T15:16:53.170Z
@HDE226868 I'm starting to wonder how much money I could gather on kickstarter to launch a device that could handle the job. Would a cost estimate be a legitimate question on this site?
toniedzwiedz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-05T15:17:36.287Z
@Tom Definitely not. You'd also have a lot of angry astronomers and astronomy-enthusiasts to deal with.
HDE 226868
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-05T15:18:33.617Z
@Omen I think I'll go for what-if.xkcd.com
toniedzwiedz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-05T15:29:33.047Z
@Omen I just emailed what-if, I hope this will be answered.
toniedzwiedz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-06T01:01:30.707Z
@Tom, alas, if we destroy Pluto, academics will start arguing about what Pluto _was_.
msw
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-06T07:39:52.233Z
@msw perhaps but the project just seems to awesome not to try.
toniedzwiedz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-06T18:35:46.453Z
Keep in mind that the debate is about the meaning of the English word "planet". Pluto itself quite literally couldn't care less. No perfectly consistent classification is possible anyway; is Mercury really more similar to Jupiter than to Ceres?
Keith Thompson
<solar-system><planet><pluto><dwarf-planets><classification>
Is Pluto still a dwarf planet?
user2539
# Is Pluto still a dwarf planet?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-10-05)

Recent news seem to suggest that astronomers are arguing about whether Pluto should become a planet again.

However, I cannot find an official source for this. Is this actually true?

**Tags:** solar-system, planet, pluto, dwarf-planets, classification
> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: There is only one way to end this conflict once and for all... destroy Pluto  
> **username_4**: @Tom I doubt the [New Horizons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons) probe has an explosive device on board. :-)  
> **username_3**: @HDE226868 I'm starting to wonder how much money I could gather on kickstarter to launch a device that could handle the job. Would a cost estimate be a legitimate question on this site?  
> **username_4**: @Tom Definitely not. You'd also have a lot of angry astronomers and astronomy-enthusiasts to deal with.  
> **username_3**: @Omen I think I'll go for what-if.xkcd.com  
> **username_3**: @Omen I just emailed what-if, I hope this will be answered.  
> **username_5**: @Tom, alas, if we destroy Pluto, academics will start arguing about what Pluto _was_.  
> **username_3**: @msw perhaps but the project just seems to awesome not to try.  
> **username_1**: Keep in mind that the debate is about the meaning of the English word "planet". Pluto itself quite literally couldn't care less. No perfectly consistent classification is possible anyway; is Mercury really more similar to Jupiter than to Ceres?  
> **username_1**: No, don't destroy Pluto, just move it into a clearer orbit so it meets all three criteria.  
> **username_2**: It's still a dwarf planet.  

---

## 8 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2014-10-05. Score: 18

Yes, Pluto is still a dwarf planet. According to the [IAU website](http://www.iau.org/public/themes/pluto/), it still fits the criteria for a dwarf planet, fails to meet the criteria for a planet, and still carries the "dwarf planet" label, whatever its future status may be. I'm sorry I can't provide a longer or more detailed answer, but this is really a yes-or-no question.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: @Omen Thanks. My answer is boring, but I couldn't find much else. I decided to avoid Wikipedia for this one.  
> **username_4**: @Omen We'll see. Low views for the question so far. . . But good upvotes for the question itself.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-10-06. Score: 4

Pluto will continue to be exactly Pluto no matter how we choose to categorize it. Fretting about the "proper" category is the [tyranny of the discontinuous mind](https://web.archive.org/web/20180712164510/https://richarddawkins.net/2013/01/the-tyranny-of-the-discontinuous-mind-christmas-2011/).

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: In that case, we're all tyrants. Richard Dawkins can be an atheist's best friend, but at the moment he's irrelevant. It's a deep answer, though. Philosophical.  
> **username_5**: I cited Dawkins because I know I cribbed the phrase from somewhere (Dennet, Hofstadter, maybe?) but didn't look real hard for the source. The Dawkins article was more political than I wanted, but it did cover the concept well. And yes, we are all categorizing "tyrants" except those who have stars on our bellies; even Dr. Seuss gets philosophical at at times.  
> **username_6**: Note that Dawkins used the phrase earlier in "The Ancestor's Tale," in a much less political context.  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2015-05-25. Score: 2

Currently, Pluto is very much a dwarf planet.
I don't think Pluto will ever be reinstated as a planet again . . .
On the the pro-planet side, Pluto has five moons, which can possibly qualify it as a planet.
On the no-planet side, Pluto has a mass of 1.30900 × 10^22 kilograms, which is much lower than the currently smallest planet, Mercury, which weighs 3.285 x 10^23 kilograms. Also, the diameter of Mercury is 4,879.4 km across, while Pluto’s diameter is 2,360 km across. Big difference. Really.
I'm pretty sure Pluto won't be called a planet again, but I can't be certain.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: One argument I dislike is the one with the moons. It's a problem for Mercury and Venus, and even Earth has no more moons than many an asteroid or dwarf planet.  

---

### Answer by username_8 on 2023-06-22. Score: 1

[Moons Are Planets: Scientific Usefulness Versus Cultural Teleology in the Taxonomy of Planetary Science](https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.15285) is a 2021 paper that outlines a thesis that:

* Until the 20th century, the term 'planet' always included the Moon.
* That the fields of planetary science -- oceans, atmospheres, (cryo-) volcanism, complex ice and silicate chemistry -- do not care about orbital structure, and that these are found on larger satellites, Pluto and Ceres.

[![Venn diagram of planets and their shared properties](https://i.sstatic.net/5skC3.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/5skC3.png)

* That the IAU was unduly influenced by dynamicists, who typically care very little about the properties of the planet beyond its mass and orbit, and that the vote should not have taken place.
* That a definition of planet as "big enough for gravitational compression, not so big it's undergoing fusion" encompasses the domain in which complex chemical behaviours are uniquely found within the universe, and that such a definition has useful descriptive value, unlike the IAU definition.

> **Comments:**
> **username_9**: Dissident view of some astronomers doesn’t change the official decision of the IAU…  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2023-06-22. Score: 1

In the end, astronomers can call anything they want a "planet". However, some form of distinction should be made between objects that clear their neighborhoods and those that do not. Clearing the neighborhood is a major structural feature of our Solar System, for it leads to the small bodies that make up most of the Solar System's population being largely confined to specific belts and zones.

Earth is one of a select group objects responsible for that, and so is Mercury. Pluto and Ceres cannot really be their equals no matter what words we choose as labels.


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2023-06-22. Score: 0

Only the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has the mandate to decide what is or is not a planet or a dwarf planet. Or, as Keith Thompson rightfully pointed out, about what the word “planet” and the expression “dwarf planet” mean in English.

The IAU holds a General Assembly every three years. The next one is schedule for August 2024 (in Cape Town, South Africa). I doubt the issue of Pluto will be at the agenda, despite popular media claims and complaints by multiple professional astronomers.


---

### Answer by username_10 on 2014-10-28. Score: 0

Yes, Pluto is a dwarf planet, along with Ceres and Eris which are in the Solar System. It was classified a dwarf planet in 2006 or 2007. Sorry for my inaccurate answer.


---

### Answer by username_11 on 2024-01-21. Score: 0

When Piazzi discovered 1Ceres in 1801, it was designated as a planet, and so was several more asteroids as they were discovered in the next few years until they figured out that they were all very small objects in a belt. Pluto was not the first to be demoted. Once others like Pluto was discovered and they realized that it was just one of many, even the largest of many, it was duly demoted.


---

