Is Planet Pluto A Notch In The Kuiper Belt?

The discovery of numerous celestial bodies within the Kuiper belt in our solar system sparked the great debate about how a planet is really defined.

Once the International Astronomical Union determined what a new planet should be defined as, it left planet Pluto out in the cold, so to speak.

While planet Pluto does have a few planetary characteristics (it has sufficient gravitational pull and resistance to outside forces to be shaped relatively roundly and it orbits around the Sun), it was demoted to dwarf planet status because it does not have a totally clear orbital path.  In fact, it intersects Neptune’s orbit.

Pluto and the Kuiper belt:

The Kuiper belt is a part of our solar system that reaches from the orbit of Neptune all the way out to fifty astronomical units (AU) away from the Sun.  For those who may not know what an astronomical unit is, it is length of measurement that is approximately the average distance between the Sun and the Earth or ninety-three million miles.

Convert that to fifty astronomical units and you have over forty-six billion miles! That is quite a bit of distance away from the Sun.  It is no wonder that this area is an icy celestial region in our solar system.

Given that the scientific instruments for observing the cosmic heavens becomes more sophisticated with every passing year, it is no wonder that more and more emphasis was placed on the newly discovered objects along the Kuiper belt in relation to planet Pluto.

With each discovery, planet Pluto appeared less and less like what a planet should be.  Up until the definition of a planet was set, scientists were of the mind, “I’ll know it when I see it” kind of mentality when it came to identifying a planet.

Now that scientists have found larger objects than planet Pluto within the Kuiper belt, Pluto just does not look as attractive against some of the newer finds.

Of course, Pluto’s classification as a dwarf planet still makes it a notch in the Kuiper belt within our solar system.  For instance, planet Pluto’s albedo (reflective light on the surface) is very high in comparison to other objects within the Kuiper belt.  It has an approximate fifteen to one ratio.

Pluto, regardless of its recent demotion to dwarf planet status, will always hold a fascination for many people of the general public as well as astronomers.

Pluto, while still in planet status, was always considered an oddball because of its weird orbital pattern as well as the fact that it orbited in a different plane than the other planets.  In addition, planet Pluto kept many scientific researchers in the dark as to what it really looked like on the surface of the planet and extrapolated what the atmosphere would be like.

Pluto is also no longer regarded is the oddball planet out of the solar system.  Now it is a bright spot and bigger kid on the block known as the Kuiper belt.  While it is not the biggest celestial body within the Kuiper belt, it is definitely no longer the underdog.

In fact, many scientists believe that the spacecraft New Horizons will reveal quite a bit about planet Pluto and the many secrets it may hold about the beginnings of our solar system.

Of course, planet Pluto is not the only celestial body that the spacecraft New Horizons will be examining.  Planet Pluto’s moon Charon will also be reviewed as well as a number of objects within the Kuiper belt.  This could include asteroids and comets.

Scientists and the general public have a few more years before New Horizons reveals any Plutonian secrets.  The summer of 2015 will be the earliest that the spacecraft could reach that area of our solar system. Until then, everything that is known about planet Pluto and the Kuiper belt is limited to what can be seen by the most powerful telescopic instruments on our planet Earth.

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