Pluto hasn't been a planet for almost 20 years. In the early 2000s, scientists discovered several objects of a similar size to Pluto. So, during the summer of 2006, members of the International Astronomical Union convened in Prague to reconsider what counts as a planet in our solar system. IAU members decided that there were three criteria to be a planet — and Pluto didn't meet all of them. But planetary scientist Wladymir Lyra says that even though it was downgraded to a dwarf planet, Pluto still has much to teach us about planet formation. This episode, he also lays out his case for Pluto — and many other objects in the solar system — to be considered a planet.*This episode is part of Short Wave's space camp series about all the weird, wonderful things happening in the universe. Check out the full series).**Questions about the state of our universe or smaller happenings here on planet Earth? Email us at [email protected]) — we'd love to consider it for a future episode! *Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)
