ILLUSTRATION. Because of this dwarf planet, scientists debate returning Pluto as a planet
Writer: Arif Budianto
KONTAN.CO.ID – Because of the dwarf planet (dwarf) This scientists are arguing to return Pluto as a planet in the Solar System. Once the 9th planet in the Solar System, Pluto’s status as a planet was lowered in 2006.
Some people may have known that Pluto was the 9th planet in the Solar System. Pluto was once known as the farthest and smallest planet in the Solar System.
However, in 2006 it was stripped of its status as a planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). This is because Pluto is considered not to meet one of the requirements as a planet.
Nevertheless, the debate over the restoration of Pluto’s status as a planet is still a hot topic for scientists. In fact, since the discovery of the dwarf planet named Eris in 2005 then made scientists want Pluto to regain its status as a planet.
Quote from ScienceTimes, a dwarf planet named Eris which is considered bigger than Pluto is classified as the 9th planet in the Solar System by NASA. Unfortunately, the International Astronomical Union, according to Space.with reportedly unhappy with the addition of Eris to the list of planets of the Solar System.
Instead, they chose to make the first formal definition of “planet”, in favor of leaving Eris and Pluto behind.
Who is Eris? Why did the emergence of this dwarf planet spark debate among scientists to restore Pluto’s static status as a planet?
Also Read: Pluto Again Considered a Planet? This is the explanation of scientists
About the dwarf planet Eris
The dwarf planet Eris was discovered in 2005 as part of the Plaomar Observatory’s research on the outer solar system. The Daily Guardian.
Eris’ rotation around the sun takes 557 Earth years for this cool little planet. Eris’s orbit lies outside the plane of the planets of the Solar System and extends into the kuiper belt (an area of frozen debris beyond Neptune’s orbit).
Because it is far from the Sun, this dwarf planet has an atmosphere that condenses and hardens like a layer of ice on its surface. The cover shone brightly and reflected the same amount of light as freshly fallen snow.
So cold, the surface temperature of the dwarf planet Eris is estimated to range from -217 to -243 degrees Celsius, according to scientists.
As Eris approaches the Sun in a few hundred years, it reveals a rocky surface that astronomers believe resembles Pluto. Could it be that this dwarf planet is Pluto’s incarnation?
Also Read: Let’s Get to Know the Constellations or Constellations, How Many Are There?
The debate over Eris scientists want to restore Pluto’s status as a planet
In the last 15 years, scientists who argue that Pluto should be classified as a planet have continued to receive more ammunition.
Still quoted from TheScienceTimes, a group of experts argue that scientists should raise the status of Pluto and other celestial bodies in the solar system to the status of Planets. Their opinions are summarized in a published article entitled, “The Moon Is a Planet: Scientific Uses Versus Technological Culture in Planetary Science Taxonomy,” in the scientific journal “Icarus.”
On the other hand, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) developed a new criterion in 2006 that made Pluto a steppe. It even lowered its status as a dwarf planet.
According to the International Astronomical Union. a planet must be spherical, orbit the Sun, and have sufficient gravity to keep other objects out of orbit. Unfortunately, Pluto only fulfills two criteria by being spherical and orbiting the Sun.
Another argument from the authors of the new paper is that planetary scientists do not like the IAU definition which uses a planetary concept which is essentially geophysical/geological and is not constrained by the current state of its orbit.
In fact, there is evidence that scientists oppose the IAU’s definition of a planet, while it is not clear which side holds the majority view.
Meanwhile, former NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine, who presented at University of Colorado in 2019 revealed that he believed Pluto was a planet.
Nevertheless, the IAU revealed to FOX Television, that they “respect all scientific viewpoints and support free debate.” But the IAU’s scientific decision-making authority is the General Assembly every three years.
