The day the Solar System lost a planet I can’t believe that five
years ago today, the 24th of August, Pluto was demoted from
planet to the category of dwarf planet. Pluto is not a big
object, and since it’s discovery in 1930 we’ve found a number of
other objects that are of a similar size, or even larger. If
Pluto is considered a planet, then science would also have to
consider other similar bodies to be planets as well, including
asteroids and Kupier belt objects. By the time we mark the 10th
anniversary of this infamous decision, we’ll know a lot more
about Pluto. NASA’s New Horizons probe is currently on course
for a fly-by in July 2015, giving us the first up-close look at
what was once the only (former) planet a probe hadn’t visited.
Sadly, it won’t have time to stop and look around. After a
journey lasting nearly 10 years, it will whip past Pluto
travelling at 43,000kph or 27,000mph, on it’s way to the Kupier
belt, which is it’s real destination. Until then, Pluto will
remain a blur in our telescopes, o