Tag Archives: dwarf planet

Blog 5: The Controversy Behind Pluto’s Planethood

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Seth Creech

Pluto orbits our Sun far out past Neptune, and has been the source of controversy as we have learned more about it. The argument centers around whether this celestial object should be defined as a planet or a dwarf planet. This leads to an even bigger question: what separates a dwarf planet from a planet? […] Continue reading →

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 New Horizons: Exploring Pluto and Beyond

Posted on April 9, 2023 by 7smessier45

Hello (again), and welcome (back) to my Astronomy Blog! Today we’re picking up where we left off with Pluto and the New Horizons mission.  The New Horizons Mission Although NASA approved the mission in 2001, the New Horizons mission officially entered the public conscience when the craft was launched on January 19th, 2006. The speedy […] Continue reading →

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The Dwarf Planet Debate

Posted on April 8, 2023 by araceal

(picture of the colorization of Pluto) We all know the controversy that Pluto causes. Should it be a planet? Should it not be one? Why should or shouldn’t it be?  Although astronomers and other scientists claim that Pluto should not be considered a planet, some researches believe that this decision was unfair and incorrect and […] Continue reading →

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Blog Post 1

Posted on January 21, 2023 by Myles7235

When I was in elementary school, I never understood why Pluto was called a dwarf planet. I called Pluto a “baby planet” because it looked so tiny compared to the rest of the planets. I thought the reason that it was called a dwarf planet was because of its smaller size. The International Astronomical Union […] Continue reading →

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Ceres

Posted on April 17, 2021 by justinboreskyvanderbiltedu

Unlike recently discovered dwarf planets, Ceres was discovered in 1801. Ceres was the first asteroid discovered, it was first spotted on Jan. 1, 1801 by Sicilian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi. Ceres was named after the Roman goddess of agriculture. An interesting fact about Ceres was that after it was discovered an element in the period tableContinue reading “Ceres” Continue reading →

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Makemake

Posted on April 14, 2021 by justinboreskyvanderbiltedu

Makemake was discovered in 2005 by Michael Brown, Chad Trujillo and David Rabinowitz. Makemake might be the most interesting dwarf planet with its cool name and special facts. Makemake is the second biggest dwarf planet and once it was discovered it led to the demise of the title of planet for Pluto. Because of MakemakeContinue reading “Makemake” Continue reading →

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Blog #5: Pluto’s Demotion

Posted on April 3, 2017 by zhengastronomy

As of August 24th  2006, the international astronomical union voted to demote Pluto to a dwarf planet, ending the nine planet era, redefining the definition of a planet, and rendering many, many astronomy books obsolete. But why was Pluto demoted? What happened to make astronomers cut away a part of so many people’s worldview? Will … Continue reading Blog #5: Pluto’s Demotion Continue reading →

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Pluto the Dwarf Planet

Posted on March 27, 2017 by josiezd

Many of us remember Pluto as the used-to-be 9th planet in our solar system that was demoted to a dwarf planet. So what makes Pluto a dwarf planet and not a planet? What is interesting about Pluto, and, if it was so small, how exactly was it discovered earlier than other dwarf planets? Continue reading →

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Pluto: Planet or Dwarf Planet?

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Haley Topper

This is the excerpt for your very first post. Continue reading →

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Pluto – A Dwarf Planet

Posted on April 10, 2016 by podolakvandysolarsystem

Pluto is a Dwarf planet in the ring of objects beyond Neptune called the Kuiper Belt. Similar to other objects in the Kuiper Belt, Pluto is composed of rock and ice. Its orbital period is 248 Earth years, and has an inclined orbital path compared to all the planets whose paths lie in the ecliptic […] Continue reading →

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