Question
Why is Pluto now called a dwarf planet?
Answers
GPT 3.5
Pluto is now classified as a dwarf planet because of a decision made by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2006. The IAU established three criteria for a celestial body to be considered a planet: it must orbit around the Sun, it must have sufficient mass to assume a nearly round shape, and it must have cleared its orbit of other debris.
While Pluto meets the first two criteria, it fails to satisfy the third criterion. Its orbit overlaps with that of Neptune, and it shares its orbital space with a number of other objects in the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune containing many icy bodies. As a result, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet, along with other similar objects that also do not meet the third criterion.
While Pluto meets the first two criteria, it fails to satisfy the third criterion. Its orbit overlaps with that of Neptune, and it shares its orbital space with a number of other objects in the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune containing many icy bodies. As a result, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet, along with other similar objects that also do not meet the third criterion.