🌌 Why did Pluto lose its planet status?

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🪐 Pluto’s story

• Pluto was discovered in 1930
• For many years, it was called the 9th planet
• In 2006, scientists changed its status

👉 Pluto did not disappear — only its category changed

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📏 New rules for being a planet

In 2006, scientists made 3 rules for a planet:

A planet must:
1️⃣ Orbit the Sun
2️⃣ Be round in shape
3️⃣ Clear its path around its orbit

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✅ Pluto passes 2 rules…

✔ Orbits the Sun
✔ Is round

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❌ Pluto fails the 3rd rule

❗ “Clear its path” means:

• A planet should be the big boss in its orbit
• It should push away or control other nearby objects

🧠 Pluto shares its space with many icy objects in the Kuiper Belt

So Pluto is not strong enough to clear its orbit.

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🧊 What is Pluto now?

Pluto is called a Dwarf Planet

Other dwarf planets:

• Ceres
• Eris
• Haumea
• Makemake

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🌟 Fun facts for kids

• Pluto is smaller than Earth’s Moon
• It is very cold ❄️
• A year on Pluto = 248 Earth years
• Pluto has 5 moons

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🧠 Easy way to remember

Planet = clears its path
Pluto = shares its path

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💬 Important note

Many people still love Pluto ❤️
It is special, just not a planet by the new rules.

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