Pluto’s place in the Solar System is under debate once again. It’s thanks, in part, to comments from new NASA administrator Jared Isaacman during a recent congressional hearing.
“I am very much in the camp of ‘Make Pluto a Planet Again’,” he said, referencing a growing movement among some planetary scientists to overturn Pluto’s controversial demotion.
Ever since astronomers voted to strip Pluto of its planetary status in 2006, many researchers – and plenty of members of the public – have argued the decision should be reversed.
It’s easy to see why. Pluto is round, has complex geology, and is home to mountains, glaciers and even a thin atmosphere. It certainly feels more planet-like than some anonymous lump of space rock.
Despite Isaacman’s backing, many astronomers are reluctant to reinstate it, warning it could open up a whole can of interplanetary worms.
