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Pluto's status as a planet has been a topic of debate. It is a part of the Kuiper Belt, along with other small objects. Its features, such as its small size and mass, led scientists to reconsider its classification. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union redefined what constitutes a planet, and Pluto no longer met the criteria. This reclassification has had a significant impact on the field of astronomy and led to NASA's New Horizons spacecraft mission to explore Pluto. The mission provided valuable data and changed society's understanding of the solar system. Educators had to adjust their science curriculum to reflect these changes. Despite no longer being classified as a planet, Pluto continues to captivate our imagination and contribute to the beauty of the night sky. Hello everyone, I'm Evelyn, and welcome back to my broadcast channel, Beyond the Night Sky. For today's episode, I'll be discussing the question of whether Pluto should still be considered as a formal planet or not. Take a prediction right now, and once you're ready, let's jump right into it. To start, Pluto's special location in the solar system makes it different with other eight major planets that are known. According to NASA's latest research of the Kuiper Belt, a region that was left over by the formation of the solar system, a scientist called the objects there as Kuiper Belt Objects, or KBOs. And these KBOs include Pluto, Babarikov, and other small, traveling objects. Therefore, scientists realized that Pluto is living with some neighbors since its discovery in 1930, and the fact drives them to reconsider the general definition of a planet. However, the general motivation for scientists to reveal their theories is the concept of a planet. During that period, people would call any huge moving object as a planet, but until people collected enough data about Pluto, features of Pluto have surprised the whole astronomical world a lot. So first of all, the diameter of Pluto is only one-half of the United States, and its mass is much smaller than other planets, but it's only about one-sixth of Earth's mass. This new discovery definitely caused lots of wars to reclassify Pluto and also start the IAU's mind of a planet. In 2005, the International Astronomical Union, a.k.a. the IAU, published a more exhaustive and tighter definition of a planet, which basically confirms the reclassification of Pluto. From the concepts of IAU, a formal planet should satisfy the following three requirements. First, its object orbits the Sun. Second, it has enough mass and gravity to be rounded. And lastly, the object has clear its neighborhood. Based on these three requirements, scientists eventually gave up the final definition of Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006. And now let's think about why people made this decision. To start the question would be, does Pluto orbit the Sun? Well, the answer is yes and will complete the first full orbit since the discovery on Monday, March 23, 2178. The following confusion probably will be, does Pluto actually have enough mass to be rounded? I was surprised at the first time either. However, the one-sixth mass of Earth's moon does provide Pluto with abilities to shape itself in a roughly spherical form. However, the gravity of Pluto is not enough for itself to clear the neighborhood. It just means Pluto is living with other objects, which refer to the previous info of the Kuiper belt. Furthermore, the reclassification of Pluto makes huge improvements in the astronomy field and stimulates some new programs to explore the solar system. The most significant program is NASA's New Horizons spacecraft that was inspired by Pluto's special features and the spacecraft was launched in 2006. The good news is that until July 14, 2015, the New Horizons successfully finished its flyby of Pluto and sent data to home. This step also allows NASA to extend operations, which are expected in 2028. This mission was very influential for all the astronomical workers and even educators because this program led to a change of society's acknowledgment of planets and the solar system since the majority was attracted to Pluto as the next planet. Thus, astronomical workers have to generate a detailed document to explain the reclassification and satisfy the debate, while educators have to change their science curriculum, which will definitely raise the broader question about the evolution of scientific knowledge. Throughout the research from different aspects in South Asia, Pluto is finally transforming the dwarf planets that will be always accompanying us in the universe to shape the sky even more wonderful. I would like to close the episode with a lyric from my sister's cartoon song. There are eight planets in our solar system. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and our friend the dwarf planet Pluto. The sun reflects the evolution of astronomy problems, can affect our daily lives, and informs small details. Thank you for listening to today's episode and hope to see you next time beyond the night sky.