These images, released by NASA Thursday, March 6, 1996, ...
PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight.

After a tumultuous week of clashing over the essence of the cosmos, the International Astronomical Union stripped Pluto of the planetary status it has held since its discovery in 1930. The new definition of what is _ and isn't _ a planet fills a centuries-old black hole for scientists who have labored since Copernicus without one.

Although astronomers applauded after the vote, Jocelyn Bell Burnell _ a specialist in neutron stars from Northern Ireland who oversaw the proceedings _ urged those who might be "quite disappointed" to look on the bright side.

"It could be argued that we are creating an umbrella called 'planet' under which the dwarf planets exist," she said, drawing laughter by waving a stuffed Pluto of Walt Disney fame beneath a real umbrella.

"Many more Plutos wait to be discovered," added Richard Binzel, a professor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The decision by the prestigious international group spells out the basic tests that celestial objects will have to meet before they can be considered for admission to the elite cosmic club.

For now, membership will be restricted to the eight "classical" planets in the solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Of all the planets, of course it would be my favorite pluto, and not uranus.

So will that Disney Dog get a new name?

LJ,
Is there a ring around uranus?

lol, you guys suk!!! lmao!

Quinn, there is no ring around anything, lol

If they're calling pluto a "dwarf" planet now...does that make jupiter a "giant" planet...lol

And, if pluto isn't a planet anymore, why still call is a planet, dwarf or otherwise??? hmmm

They're calling it a dwarf b/c it is smaller than it's moon...so size really does matter, huh??? tehehe

so, what are the requirements to be a planet- has it changed since I went to school?

LOL, it's got something to do with it's orbit and gravity, I guess it is affected by other planets and it's orbit varies.

I wonder if this is the reason peeps are so ornary all of a sudden,lmao

Pluto will always be a planet in my ♥.

^^^ aww you're tooo sweet, LOL

lol