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If you are someone who is again upset by Pluto's planetary demotion more than a decade ago, an upcoming debate on the definition of "planet" might be of interest to you.
Stern, one of Pluto's greatest advocates, will debate Ron Akers, former president of the International Astronomical Union – the world organization charged with redefining the term "planet". It is ultimately the decision of the AIU to designate Pluto and other small worlds as "dwarf planets", a title distinct from the term "planet". The change triggered a lot of anxiety and upheaval as a result of Pluto's loss of planet status. Stern, the principal investigator of NASA's New Horizons mission, may have been the main critic of the new definition. He sent a spacecraft to Pluto for the first time in July 2015.
"The process of redefining the planet has been deeply flawed and widely criticized even by those who accepted the outcome," wrote Stern in an editorial the Washington Postwith scientist David Grinspoon from New Horizons.
For those in need of refreshment, the debate on the "planet" really took off in 2005 when astronomers discovered another tiny world the size of Pluto, on the periphery of the solar system. Known today under the name of Eris, it was thought that the world was the 10th planet not discovered at the time. But when astronomers began to discover more and more worlds such as Pluto and Eris in the distant solar system, experts began to wonder if a change in the definition of the planet was needed.
Then, in 2006, IAU organized a conference in Prague to propose an official definition of the word "planet". IAU is responsible for giving names to celestial bodies. This type of work is therefore the responsibility of the organization. At the end of the conference, IAU determined that an object must meet three criteria to be considered a planet: it must orbit around the Sun, it must be rounded by gravity and it must have cleaned its orbital neighborhood.
This third criterion has finally caused a lot of tragedies in the global scientific community. Essentially, this means that most objects must be separated from a planet's orbit and filled with many other small icy bodies. (The video above contains more explanations.) That's why she was reclassified as a dwarf planet, a decision that led to 13 years of public mourning over the fact that Pluto is not more a planet.
The evangelists of Pluto refused to accept the definition and have since called for a reversal. And now, Stern will have the opportunity to debate one of the people seen as responsible for changing the world's status that he has spent nearly a decade trying to explore. It should be an interesting evening.
The debate will be held at the Powell Auditorium of the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC. On Monday, April 29 at 8:00 pm (Eastern Time), things will start and all events will be broadcast live for those who can not attend in person. If you really want to discuss orbital mechanics, gravity and distant space rocks, that's the night for you.
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