After more than a decade of controversy, the debate over the icy world’s demotion to “dwarf planet” status shows no sign of stopping.
The upshot from the vote to downgrade Pluto as a planet to a dwarf planet in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) continues to swirl around a major axis of dispute.
Turns out, it’s a world also caught in a vortex of nomenclature, planetary pedagogy, as well as a slight nudge from ambivalence.
New Horizons
There is no question that the July 14, 2015 flyby of Pluto by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft – the first probe to do so – has sparked more debate about the famous object’s Solar System standing. That far flung craft revealed surprising, eye-opening detail about Pluto and its entourage of moons.
Back into the “planetary ‘hood?
But while plugging back Pluto into the “planetary ‘hood” is being advanced, it’s arguably a tough call.
For more on the debate, discussion, controversy, take a look at my new story for Scientific American at:
It’s about time! Pluto deserves further thought and relief from the boasts of that bully about killing it. Anyway, at the time of the demotion, we, our son and our grandchildren composed a lament in dance and song. Here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHYzPcz9GZE