Abstract
The paper relates that, in 1930, the Lowell Observatory announced the discovery of the ninth planet, Pluto, but then, in 2006, the scientific community decided that Pluto would lose its status as a planet. The paper then explains that this decision was based on the scientific community's discovery that Pluto is more akin to the making of an asteroid than it is to a planet. The paper also looks at the opinion of people who think Pluto should still be a planet and posits that the many questions about Pluto will be answered when the New Horizons space satellite arrives at Pluto in 2015.

From the Paper
"In 1930, the Lowell Observatory announced the discovery of a small planetary body beyond the planet Neptune (Gingerich, 2007, 137). It was named Pluto, following the suggestion of a young girl who thought that name was right because the first two letters incorporated the initials of the scientist for whom the Lowell Observatory was named for (Gingerich, 137). In hindsight, the rush to bestow planetary status on the tiny heavenly body was perhaps more a need for the Lowell Observatory to have a role in the discovery of something scientifically significant than in something that met the standards of scientific theory and research."

Tags:asteroid, orbit, galaxy

Abstract
The paper discusses how Pluto recently came under fire regarding the legitimacy of its status as a planet of the solar system. The paper examines the controversy that began when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1999, was implicated with the decision of reconsidering Pluto's planetary status. The paper concludes that the issue was finally set to rest when the IAU duly rejected the status change as a rumour or misinformation and Pluto's status remained safe.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Pluto Statistics
Pluto Planet or comet (A Discussion)
Pluto (A Misfit?)
Conclusion
Bibliography

From the Paper
"First and foremost comes the fact of size. As mentioned earlier, Pluto is the smallest planet and in terms of its size is even smaller than seven of the moons of other planets including earth's moon. Comparatively, mercury the next smallest planet is more than twice the size of Pluto. However, most astronomers brush aside this argument stating that Pluto is too big to be classified as a minor planet. For example, Ceres the largest minor planet that exists in the asteroid belt between Jupiter and mars is only 580 miles."

Tags:Kupier, Charon, astronomy, orbit

Abstract
This paper discusses the consensus reached by the International Astronomical Union in 2006 on the official definition of a planet, and the consequent reclassification of Pluto as a "dwarf planet." The writer explains what is known about Pluto today and describes the background to the controversy and the discoveries that led to the challenging of Pluto's status as a planet. Many scientists today still believe that Pluto is in fact a planet, and support a more expansive definition of what are called planets. The paper concludes that, as our knowledge of what constitutes planets continues to expand, Pluto may once again be considered a planet.

From the Paper
"The recent controversy over Pluto's status as a planet reveals the fact that quite often, what seems like a scientific certainty is still quite contentious within the scientific community, when new discoveries are made through improved technology. In 1995, discoveries of large planets around other stars, plus new objects that are neither planet nor star, and free-floating objects in space that look like planets but do not orbit stars forced astronomers to reformulate definitions of what constituted a planet (Britt 2000). Extrasolar planets may originate as brown dwarf stars, lack light, and are even in some cases as large as Jupiter, yet they orbit stars like planets (Britt 2000). In defining whether these burnt-out brown dwarfs were planets in the early 90s were planets, the issue of Pluto's planetary status again came to the forefront of scientific debate."

Tags:comet, solar system, trans-Neptunian extrasolar, Kuiper Belt, asteroid universe orbit satellite

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that in the not so distant past, schoolchildren all over the world learned that the planet farthest away from the sun in our solar system was Pluto. The writer relates that they learned mnemonic devices to remember the names of all nine planets, made models and mobiles, all with Pluto orbiting at the very end of their dioramas. The writer then describes that in August 2006, after many years of intense debate, astronomers declared that Pluto was officially not a planet. The writer maintains that perhaps the real question about the usefulness of the new definition of planet will not revolve around Pluto, however dearly the old model may still be cherished in our culture, but how the definition is useful in classifying new solar systems. The writer also points out that the question of roundness and what is meant by clearing one's orbit and other points of contention will continue to generate lively debate within the scientific community and in schools, whatever Pluto's official status.

From the Paper
"To say that Pluto is suddenly not a planet though, of course, is somewhat incorrect, as Pluto has remained unchanged, rather it is the scientific definition and astronomer's perceptions (and voting patterns within the organization) that have shifted."
"Surprisingly, until 2006, astronomy textbooks never had a single, universally agreed-upon definition for the word planet, as the IAU had never established exactly what constitutes a planet, and set specific scientific standards. However, defining a planet, or any astronomical body is always extremely difficult, as the definition must be universally applicable, to all solar systems, not just our own."

Tags:astronomer, solar, system, planethood

Abstract
This paper focuses on the history and the discovery of the ninth planet in the Solar System, Pluto, and its lone moon, Charon. The paper discusses various theories about what originally propelled astronomers to search for this mysterious planet, known as Planet X, and how its name Pluto finally came about after its discovery.

From the Paper
"John Murray, an astronomer from Open University in the U.K. proposes a theory in which two large objects may gravitationally affect the orbits of long period comets. These two objects would have to be about 32,000 AU from the Sun and extremely massive, about the size of Jupiter. John J. Matese of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette proposes a similar theory. His involves two to three Jupiter sized objects orbiting at about 2.3 trillion miles from the Sun. He says that their gravity is responsible for the deflection of roughly 25% of the known 82 Oort Cloud comets into the inner solar system. Matese says that these massive objects do not necessarily have to be planets; they may be undetected brown dwarfs undetected because the IRAS (Infrared Astronomical Satellite) of the 1980s was not sensitive enough to distinguish an individual brown dwarf against the galactic plane."

Tags:astronomy, hershel, outer, physics, space, Camille, Flammarian

Abstract
This paper compares eight planets in the solar system -- Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus and Pluto-- to the planet Earth in terms of structure, atmosphere, chemical composition, and possibility of life at some time.

From the Paper
"The Earth is the third planet and the most massive of the inner planets. (Encrenaz, Bibring and Blanc) Its average density differs from that of the silicates that form most of the superficial rock surface. Seismic measurements and natural volcanic eruptions indicate that the internal structure consists of several distinct layers, a central core with a radius surrounded by a mantle and then a thin crust. There is a discontinuity between the crust lithosphere and the mantle asthenosphere. The mantle is..."

Tags:planetary comparison, planets, Solar, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, Pluto, Earth

Abstract
This paper begins with a definition and description of the planets within our solar system and then goes on to discuss extra-solar planets and the ongoing search for them. The paper describes some of the technology and techniques employed in this search, a discovery of an extra-solar planet by scientists at the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland, and recent advances in locating extra-solar planetary objects.

From the Paper
"The word planet means "wanderer" in Greek. It derives from the fact that planets within our solar system seem generally to wander eastward about the so-called fixed stars across the zodiac constellations (Kolb). There is no clear consensus precisely defining what constitutes a planet, as distinguished from brown dwarfs, which are the material remnants of burned out ancient stars whose masses where too small to form white dwarfs or collapse completely, forming black holes in the manner that stars much larger than ten solar masses, or ten times the mass of our sun (Hawking)."

Tags:body, emits, light, energy, orbits, star, reflecting, size, mass, jupiter, mars, pluto, terrestrial

Abstract
The paper relates that the qualities that identify the planets have been given much consideration recently with news of the discovery of several far-distant planets of different types and because of the recent astronomy meeting at which Pluto was demoted from a planet to a different category. The paper reveals that currently, the solar system has eight full-fledged planets and several smaller planetoids, now including Pluto. The paper explains that the solar planets orbit the Sun, generally in the same orbital plane, while Pluto is eccentric in the angle of its orbit. The paper notes that planets also have a certain size, which is why the many other objects that orbit the sun are not planets. The paper adds that the makeup of the planets differs considerably, from the rocky inner worlds to the gas giants in the middle region to the frozen worlds in the outer region.

From the Paper
"The qualities that identify the planets have been given much consideration recently with news of the discovery of several far-distant planets of different types and because of the recent astronomical meeting at which Pluto was demoted from a planet to a different category. Currently, then, the solar system has eight full-fledged planets and several smaller planetoids, now including Pluto. The solar planets orbit the Sun, generally in the same orbital plane, while Pluto is eccentric in the angle of its orbit. Planets also have a certain size, which is why the many other objects that orbit the sun are not planets. The makeup of the planets differs considerably, from the rocky inner worlds to the gas..."

Tags:planets, earth, compared

Abstract
The paper reveals how politics determine the direction planetary classification will take in astronomy. More than that, the paper looks at how the current debate over Pluto evolved, who was invested in what, and the history of mankind's efforts to arrive at a working typology for the solar system. Additionally, the paper considers the implications of the new classification structure.

From the Paper
"What is a dwarf planet? Answer: A dwarf planet is an object that does not gravitationally dominate its small region of the solar system, is not a satellite, and is nearly round. Looking at the items discussed in one of the sidebars found within the article, it is clear that the twelve dwarf planets are not really planets but are, instead, dwarfs for the simple reason that at least one of them is spherical rather than round and the rest do not appear to be items that dominate their sector of the solar system. Admittedly, though, there is some question about whether or not the current definition of..."

Tags:planets, pluto, classification

Abstract
This paper discusses how the Earth compared to the sun, its moon, and the nine planets in its solar system is extremely unique. Not only does it have unique surface features, but its weather, atmosphere, and size is original when compared to other bodies in space. Then, through an examination of the different properties of the other celestial bodies, the paper also attempts to show how the Earth has similarities to the nine planets when describing how the planets and their atmospheres were formed.

From the Paper
"The Earth is the third planet from the Sun being about 93 million miles from the Sun and in one planetary year circles the Sun 365 days of 24 hours each. Its diameter is 7,926 miles and has one moon. Earth is the densest planet in our solar system. It has an iron core, a mantle, and crust with an atmosphere made up of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other gases. The temperature of Earth ranges from -127 degrees Fahrenheit, recorded in Antarctica, to 136 degrees Fahrenheit, recorded in Africa. The surface features of Earth consist of mountains, faults, volcanoes, cliffs, oceans, rivers, and ice caps. The hydrosphere is the water on or near the Earth's surface. The Earth is unique among the planets because 70% of its surface is covered by oceans. The main difference between Earth and other planets is its ability to support life. Vegetation and organisms are prominent all over the globe. This is possible because of the climate, atmosphere, and general living conditions. "

Tags:mercury, venus, pluto, jupiter