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How is Pluto compared with the outer planets?
Aside from being, on average, the farthest planet from the Sun, Pluto and its orbit have several characteristics that make it unique. The plane of Pluto’s orbit is also tilted the most compared to the rest, taking it further north and south of the Earth’s orbital plane than the other planets.
Why is Pluto not considered an outer planet?
Answer. 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. Essentially Pluto meets all the criteria except one—it “has not cleared its neighboring region of other objects.”
How is Pluto’s orbit different from the other planets?
The plane of Pluto’s orbit is also tilted the most compared to the rest, taking it further north and south of the Earth’s orbital plane than the other planets. Pluto’s only know satellite, Charon, is the largest satellite compared to the size of its mother planet.
Why is Pluto no longer a planet?
Pluto was always considered to be a strange planet but it was a favorite among the planetary scientists. It was named after a mythological Greek god (not the Disney character) When there was a decision made to change the definition of a planet, that meant Pluto dropped off as one of the planets in our solar system.
What are the unique characteristics of Pluto?
Charon’s large mass relative to Pluto means that the center of their common orbit about each other lies outside Pluto’s surface, another unique characteristic of this Planet. Finally, Pluto itself is unique for its position and physical characteristics. The four inner planets–Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars–are known as terrestrial planets…
Does Pluto meet the criteria of IAU’s definition of a planet?
Take note that Pluto only meets the two of the three criteria defined by IAU. To be specific, it orbits around the Sun and has enough mass to assume a hydrostatic equilibrium or nearly rounded shape. However, it has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.