Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman has reignited the debate over Pluto's planetary status, telling a US Senate hearing that he supports making Pluto a planet again. The billionaire SpaceX astronaut made the comments to Kansas Senator Jerry Moran on Tuesday, saying he is 'very much in the camp' of revisiting the 2006 decision by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) that downgraded Pluto to a dwarf planet.
Isaacman had previously responded to a post on social media platform X asking him to restore Pluto's status, writing 'We are looking into this.' The position also has support from former Nasa Administrator Jim Bridenstine. However, experts remain divided on the issue, with some arguing that the scientific classification should be based on evidence rather than sentiment.
Mike Brown, a professor of planetary astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, who was instrumental in the IAU's decision, said that scientists will continue to classify objects in a way that helps understand the solar system. The IAU itself acknowledged that while the decision fuels intense emotions, its definition of a planet remains accurate and can only be changed if supporting evidence changes.
Pluto was discovered in 1930 and declared the ninth planet, but the IAU reclassified it as a dwarf planet after finding it shares its orbit with other objects. Critics note that Earth and Jupiter also share orbital space with asteroids, and research since 2006 has revealed more about Pluto, including that it may harbour a deep ocean, has an 'active' heart and icy mountains. However, there are many other dwarf planets, with more than 100 potentially awaiting discovery, making a simple reclassification complicated.
