• Question: when did Pluto become a dwarf planet?

    Asked by 624spea43 to Matthew on 19 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Matthew Camilleri

      Matthew Camilleri answered on 19 Nov 2014:

      Pluto became classified as a dwarf planet in August 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU). This means that from now on only the rocky worlds of the inner Solar System and the gas giants of the outer system will be designated as planets.

      This is due to the fact that Pluto was found to be smaller then originally thought with a number of moons orbiting other planets being bigger then Pluto itself.

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