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Name: ______________________ Date: _________________ Period: ________ Pluto Files (PBS/Nova Episode) Who is Neil deGrasse Tyson and why have some people blamed Pluto’s problems on him? He is an astrophysicist and the director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York He decided to place Pluto near the Kuiper Belt instead of the other planets in the Planetarium He is accused of being a Pluto Hater (person that agrees with Pluto no longer being classified as a planet) What is Pluto and how did it get its name? What do Walt Disney and Pluto have in common? When was Pluto discovered? How did Percival Lowell and Clyde Tombaugh participate in this discovery? Pluto was a planet (dwarf planet (new kind of planet)/KBO) The Disney character, Pluto (dog), got its name from the planet Pluto Walt Disney was a big fan of the planet and Space in general It got its name from a young English girl. She named it after the Roman God of the underworld (Pluto). The initials would be P. L. which could stand for Percival Lowell. It was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh (he took over the work that Percival Lowell started). Percival Lowell called it Planet X until it was named Pluto. What does IAU stand for and what are they responsible for doing? What is their definition of a planet? Why does Pluto not fit this description? How long was Pluto considered a planet and what year did it all change and why? International Astronomical Union (IAU)---they are in charge of naming celestial (space) objects Current definition: o A planet needs to be round and orbit the Sun o A planet must clear the neighborhood around its orbit Pluto is not massive enough to clear its neighbors (goes into Neptune’s orbit) Pluto was no longer considered a planet in 2006 It was called a planet for 76 years (1930-2006) In 1992, other objects around near Pluto were found. They are known as The Kuiper Belt objects. They have wide orbits around the Sun. They are thought to be left over pieces of the solar system from 4 billion years ago. They were pushed far out and put into a deep freeze. Is Pluto a planet or a Kuiper Belt object? Explain your answer. Mike Brown wanted to find a KBO larger than Pluto He discovered a bigger object than Pluto o Before it was named, it was considered possibly the 10th planet o IAU had to decide whether it was a KBO or the 10th planet o It is considered a Kuiper Belt object and is called Eris Pluto fit the description of KBO’s and the conversation started about whether Pluto should be considered a planet or not Alan Stern was not happy with the IAU and with Neil deGrasse Tyson’s exhibit at the planetarium. Why? What is a dwarf planet? Pluto is not just a KBO. It is a dwarf planet---its icy and rocky and in miniature form (pint size), have atmospheres, and moons; Pluto like objects Force of gravity forced them out into the solar system and would have been larger if there was more material available when they were formed New Horizons (mission to Pluto and Kuiper Belt) spacecraft was sent out on 2006 and will arrive at Pluto in 2015 (July) o Seven scientific instruments---find out the composition of Pluto’s surface, atmosphere, temperature, interior structure, and three moons o Takes 9 ½ years to make the journey o Has the ashes of Clyde Tombaugh---the man who discovered Pluto What is your stand on the controversial subject of Pluto? Should we study Kuiper Belt objects? Are you a Pluto Lover or a Pluto Hater? o Pluto Lover----person that believes that Pluto is still a planet o Pluto Hater---person that believes Pluto is not a planet anymore o Or are you not sure? o Explain your position. T.V. episode and questions adapted from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pluto/