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Pluto: An Astronomer's Perspective
For the past 10 years, an increasing number of objects have been found in the outer solar system, some of which are sizeable compared with Pluto. Quaoar, Sedna and "Xena" (that name has not been accepted officially yet) are some of the ones you might recall. Other objects have more obscure names like 2003 UB313. Pluto is by no means unique. A change in classification scheme was clearly needed! In August, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) — the federation of astronomers charged with naming bodies in the sky and sanctioning astronomical classification schemes — had its regular meeting (a big general assembly held once every three years) in Prague, Czech Republic. Among the many resolutions voted was one to "clean up" the terminology we use in connection with the outer solar system. We had actually been throwing around terms such as Trans-Neputunian Object and Kuiper Belt Object as more and more bodies had been discovered "way out there." For various reasons, the term "dwarf planet" suits these objects best. Revisions of classification schemes are pretty normal operations for scientists. Classification schemes are put in place so we can organize, understand and interpret information. Sometimes these schemes break down and have to be revised in response to new information. That is what happened with Pluto. For details on the reclassification of Pluto, see the NASA article, Honey, I shrunk the Solar System. Additional background on the factors that spurred the IAU's Pluto decision can be found in the 1999 Science@NASA story, Much ado about Pluto. I will pass along other sites of interest as they appear.
Julie Lutz, Director
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