Pluto is now classified as a dwarf planet because, while it is large enough to have become spherical, it is not big enough to exert its orbital dominance and clear the neighborhood surrounding its orbit.

Nov 13, 2024 · Pluto is located in the Kuiper Belt, far from the sun. Thousands of known objects orbit there, meaning Pluto is not the gravitationally dominant body in the region.

Jul 13, 2015 · For more than 70 years, Pluto was one of nine planets recognised in our Solar System. But in 2006, it was relegated to the status of dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Nov 19, 2019 · The International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded the status of Pluto to that of a dwarf planet because it did not meet the three criteria the IAU uses to define a full-sized planet. …

Apr 22, 2025 · Why is Pluto no longer a planet? Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union because other objects might cross its orbit.

May 3, 2025 · To understand why Pluto lost its planetary status, we must first understand what Pluto is, how it was discovered, and how our concept of what makes a planet has changed over time.

Jun 10, 2025 · Once hailed as the solar system’s ninth planet, Pluto was reclassified by the International Astronomical Union after discoveries of numerous Kuiper Belt objects revealed that it neither …

Oct 13, 2022 · Pluto, officially a dwarf planet, has surprising complexity on its surface. While certainly a world, not everyone agrees it is a planet.

Jun 12, 2025 · Pluto isn't considered a planet because, unlike larger planets, it hasn't cleared its orbit of debris, instead it is considered a dwarf planet.

Jan 22, 2024 · Although Pluto was initially identified as the ninth planet, it is much smaller than Mercury and even smaller than some of the other planets’ satellites. It is not like the terrestrial planets …