Pluto Was Reclassified as a Dwarf Planet
Pluto had its planet title taken away in 2006, leaving 8 planets in orbit around the Sun.
British spelling.
Pluto is now classified as a dwarf planet, with a diameter of 2,370 kilometres or 1,473 miles, making it smaller than our Moon.
It takes an incredible 248 Earth years to complete one full journey around our local star, the Sun.
The space probe New Horizons had a close flyby of Pluto in 2015, providing us with stunning images and a wealth of new information about this mysterious dwarf planet and its five moons.
What does it take to be classified as a planet?
It must orbit a star.
Its gravity needs to be strong enough to form a spherical shape.
It must be big enough to clear away other objects in its orbit around the Sun.
Pluto failed to meet the last requirement.
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