Why was Pluto demoted a dwarf planet status?

Answer 1

Pluto was reclassified in 2006 as a Dwarf planet. This was due to other Pluto like bodies being discovered, so there had to be a rethink. Either we had to have more planets or we had to better define what a planet is. Pluto is round in shape and in direct orbit around the sun, but it has not cleared it's orbit sufficiently, so remains a dwarf planet rather than a planet.

Answer 2

It got demoted because it did not have all the appropriate characteristics of a planet

• It needs to be in orbit around the Sun - Yes, so maybe Pluto is a planet.
• It needs to have enough gravity to pull itself into a spherical shape - Pluto…check
• It needs to have "cleared the neighborhood" of its orbit - Uh oh. Here's the rule breaker. According to this, Pluto is not a planet.

Answer 3

Because Pluto is actually smaller than Earth's Moon (and much smaller than many other moons in the solar system) and there are other objects sharing its orbital area (in the Kuiper belt) that are larger than Pluto. It does not make sense to say it is a planet.

Answer 4

Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet status in 2006 because it did not meet all three criteria established by the International Astronomical Union for a full-fledged planet. Pluto did not clear its orbit of other debris and objects, which was a key factor in its reclassification.

Answer 5

I think it got demoted because it was to far from the sun and it is so small that nobody lives on Pluto.

It got demoted on August 16, 2009

Answer 6

Pluto was demoted on august 24, 2006 by the international astronomical union (IAU)

Answer 7

Didn't meet all 3 of the qualifications to be a planet.

Answer 8

a big fat ugley dwarf!