For those of you who graduated high school before 2007, you many share in my remorse in the loss of Pluto as a planet.
The solar system was such a staple in k-12 education that I’d grown fond of the nine eight little darlings. I still have a hard time adjusting to Pluto being declassified as a planet. The harsh reality is explained,
“From its discovery in 1930 until 2006, Pluto was considered the Solar System’s ninth planet. In the late 1970s, following the discovery of minor planet 2060 Chiron in the outer Solar System and the recognition of Pluto’s very low mass, its status as a major planet began to be questioned. Later, in the early 21st century, many objects similar to Pluto were discovered in the outer solar system, notably the scattered disc object Eris, which is 27% more massive than Pluto. On August 24, 2006, the IAU defined the term “planet” for the first time. This definition excluded Pluto as a planet, and added it as a member of the new category “dwarf planet.”"
Shadow boxes will never be the same!
