Marc Buie of the Lowell Observatory describes observations of
Pluto in 1996 and their comparison with the 1994 observations
that were reported in a 1996 press release. They showed
structure on Pluto's surface. He has also compiled a list of
"good Pluto WWW Pages," assigning grades of A+ to C for them.
JPL continues to plan a Pluto Express mission to arrive at Pluto
approximately AD 2010 to make close-up observations and to
measure Pluto's atmosphere before it freezes out and settles
onto the surface. The discovery of over a dozen objects orbiting
the Sun beyond Neptune's orbit makes Pluto less special. The
observational status of Pluto is discussed in the text, as well
as the question "Is Pluto a Planet?" Over a dozen published
sources refer to Pluto as something less than a planet, but
Clyde Tombaugh is quoted in a summary article in USA Today
(March 4, 1996, pp. 1-2) as saying "Pluto is far bigger than any
asteroid.... The kids want Pluto to be a planet. I get hundreds
of letters. [Talk of demoting Pluto] m