A planet is a planet is a planet. Unless it’s Pluto — then it’s a dwarf planet. But even then it’s a planet, according to experts. So what was behind the unpopular reclassification of Pluto by astronomers, and were they justified?
As the New Horizons spacecraft closes in on this small body, one planetary scientist says that this dwarf planet could be more typical of planets than Mars, Mercury, and Saturn. And that our solar system has not eight or even nine planets, but 900.
Also, meet a type of planet that’s surprisingly commonplace, although we don’t have one in our solar system: super Earths. Could they harbor life?
And the Dawn mission continues its visit to the two most massive residents of the asteroid belt: Vesta and Ceres. Discover what these protoplanets may reveal to us about the early solar system.
Listen to Big Picture Science, a talk radio show about Pluto, hosted by SETI Institute astronomer Seth Shostak, here:
This week’s episode features New Horizons Project Scientist Alan Stern, Dawn Mission Chief Engineer Marc Rayman, planetary scientist David Stevenson, astronomer Rebakah Dawson, and Astronomy Editor-in-Chief David Eicher, as they discuss Pluto and all things related!