The reason why Pluto lost its planet status, is invalid, according to a new study from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. In 2006, the international astronomical Union, a group of world experts in the field of astronomy, established the definition of a planet according to which it should “clear” its orbit or, in other words, to have the largest gravitational force in its orbit.
Because the Neptune’s gravity affects neighboring planet Pluto, and Pluto shares its orbit with icy Kuiper belt objects, the status of the planet Pluto was deprived. But a new study published in the journal Icarus, a planetary scientist Philip Metzger reported that the standard classification of planets is not supported by the research literature.
Why is Pluto not a planet?
Metzger reviewed the scientific literature over the past 200 years and only found one post from 1802 — which uses the argument of the purification of the orbit to classify the planets based on already refuted arguments.
He says that satellites such as Titan and Europa, were considered planets since Galileo.
“By definition, the IAU fundamental object of planetary science, planet, determined on the basis of the concept that no one uses in their research,” says Metzger. “And it does not confer the status of the second complexity, the most interesting planet in our Solar system. We have a list of more than a hundred recent examples of planetary scientists used the word “planet” in violation of the definition of WT, but did it because it was functionally useful. Definition WT sloppy. It does not explain what it means to clear its orbit. If you take it literally, there is no planets, no planet clears its orbit”.
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Ilya Hel