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Pluto was a full-fledged planet, but that was not the case in 2006. But the debate on its status is continuing and you can watch a live chat tonight.
The decision taken in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union to demote Pluto on a "dwarf planet" occupies a central place in a debate at 8 pm. EDT (0000 30 April GMT) by the Washington Philosophical Society in Washington, D.C. You can watch live here, in the window above, or directly from the PSW Science group here.
Alan Stern, lead investigator of the New Horizons mission that flew over Pluto in 2015, was a strong supporter of Pluto remains a planet. He will face Ron Ekers, a former president of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), who led the organization from 2003 to 2006, when Pluto's demotion took place. IAU is the international body that governs the naming of celestial objects.
Stern will discuss what he sees as scientific questions regarding the definition of the term "planet", and propose a more recent definition that further integrates small bodies such as Pluto. The Ekers will argue for the definition of IAU, which has a distinct taxonomy for small worlds far removed from the solar system in an area known as the Kuiper Belt.
The push to return the planet to Pluto accelerated after the New Horizons flyby from the object, which revealed that Pluto had mountains, vast seas and other complex elements. Stern claims that his geology is more reminiscent of a planet than a smaller one.
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