Some space experts now want Pluto to be re-classified as an official planet. Based on their study, they negate the controversial definition made by the International Astronomical Union, the space agency that changed Pluto from a planet into a dwarf planet.  

Space Experts Claim Pluto Should be Re-Classified as a Planet—Saying IAU Decision is Not Based on Science
(Photo : Photo by NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI via Getty Images)

IAU released a document back in 2006 stating that Pluto is not really included in the planets within the solar system. For the past few years, this decision has led to many backlashes from various space enthusiasts. 

A new study titled "Moons are planets: Scientific usefulness versus cultural teleology in the taxonomy of planetary science" was published in the Icarus journal, saying that IAU is wrong when describing the tiny heavenly body. 

Space Experts Want Pluto to be Re-Classified as Planet

According to NBC News' latest report, Pluto meets two requirements of a planet. These are specifically orbiting the sin and being round in shape. 

Space Experts Claim Pluto Should be Re-Classified as a Planet—Saying IAU Decision is Not Based on Science
(Photo : Photo by NASA/APL/SwRI via Getty Images)
In this handout provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Pluto's largest moon Charon is shown from a distance of 289,000 miles (466,000 kilometers) from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) aboard NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, taken on July 13, and released July 15, 2015. New Horizons passed by Pluto July 14, closing to a distance of about 7,800 miles (12,500 kilometers).

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However, since Pluto is believed to be sharing its orbit with the so-called "plutinos" objects, the International Astronomical Union decided to exclude it from the solar system's planets. 

Now, the space experts in the new study say that IAU is wrong about Pluto's current definition. 

"We believe this was a grave error because the processes simply should have been changed to enable naming objects without settling their taxonomy," they said via the officially published study.  

Why IAU's Definition for Pluto is Incorrect

The new space study negating IAU's definition for Pluto explained that the International Astronomical Union only based their document on astrology, a type of folklore. 

If this is true, then IAU really made an error since their description of the tiny planet is not based on science. The planetary physicist at the University of Central Florida, who also led the study, backed this claim. 

Philip Metzger even claimed around 150 planets in the solar system. But, the re-classification of Pluto as a planet would still go under further investigation. 

In other news, SpaceX's Starlink satellites recently endangered the Chinese space station, Tiangong. Meanwhile, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope underwent strict evolution before starting its deep-space mission. 

For more news updates about Pluto and other related topics about space, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.  

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Written by: Griffin Davis

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