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USF | Culture

Pluto Should Be A Planet (Again)

Alondra L. Rodriguez Perez Student Contributor, University of South Florida
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at USF chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

For years, science believed that Pluto was a planet, until one day in 2006, that idea changed. Due to the size of the once beloved planet in our solar system, it was deemed a “dwarf planet,” but not an actual planet.

I believe that Pluto should be reclassified as a planet, and I will give 5 reasons as to why below.

1) PLUTO fits two out of three criteria

There are three criteria needed for an object to be declared a planet: it must be round, it must orbit a sun, and it must clear its orbit. However, due to Pluto’s distance from the sun, it’s unable to clear its orbit completely, thus missing only one out of the three criteria from the manmade rules. It’s not Pluto’s fault that there are objects in its way, and it still passes the two most important criteria either way.

 2) ITS Size shouldn’t matter

Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet due to its size; however, we shouldn’t classify a planet just because it is smaller than the rest. Think about this: even if a person is shorter than average, that doesn’t mean they are not human. So, Pluto should be reclassified as a planet since its size should not be of importance in the scheme of things.

3) It’s trying its best

Pluto, though smaller in size, is still holding onto the Sun’s gravity. It’s the last in line, and its size makes it harder to have a clear orbit. But that doesn’t mean that it is not trying. Instead, this means that it is trying its best. For that reason alone, Pluto should be a planet.

4) It’s in the sun’s orbit

Since Pluto remains in the sun’s orbit, it should be considered a planet due to the fact that it is still a part of the solar system. And since Pluto is still hanging on at the end of the system, it should be considered a planet like the rest of its brothers and sisters.

5) It simply should be a planet again

Pluto is too cute to not be considered a planet. I firmly believe we need more cute planets in the solar system and Pluto should be the honorary one. “Dwarf planet” does not sound like a cute name, rather it sounds demeaning to the already-small rock floating in space.

All in all, Pluto should be classified as a planet again since its size should not matter, it’s technically still in the sun’s orbit, and it follows the other two commandments for being a planet. Personally, it’s way too cute and hardworking to be considered any less than a planet in our beautiful solar system. So, Pluto should go back on the ranks as a planet rather than a dwarf planet. I hope you all share this same opinion after this article. See you all in the next one!

Alondra is a bright, smiley, cow-loving woman with her B.A. in Psychology Public Health interest. She is also a pharmacy technician on the weekends and a child welfare Case Manager on the weekdays. She hopes to continue her education and work in Public Health. On her day to day she is running from one place to another and seeing her friends. Alondra tends to be a busy bee and also a social butterfly. When she's not busy you will find her sleeping and cuddling with her American Staffy pup, Bella Rose.

She is also a proud puertorican, a libra , a Halloween fanatic and a go-getter.