Our corner of the galaxy just got a little bit more crowded:
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Here’s the deal. There is a subgroup in the International Astronomical Union that decides about the naming of names, and the categorizing of, um, categories for astronomical objects. For quite some time, they have been pondering whether to call Pluto a planet or not. There has been a lot of controversy about this, mostly in the media and the public, since most astronomers don’t care all that much.
Consistant with everything ever decided by a committee, it gets a bit more complicated. Long story short: not only does Pluto retain it’s planet status, but several other celestial objects also meet the definition. At a meeting due to happen on August 24th, the IAU will meet again and, quite possibly, increase our solar system from 9 planets to 12.
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