'The Man Who Killed Pluto:' Mike Brown Believes New Planet More Worthy Than Former Ninth Planet

Pluto has been among the most controversial and most debated topics in the astronomical field. Just years after the world entered the 21s century, the ninth planet of our solar system was stripped from its label and was removed from our system's official planetary collection. The removal of Pluto as the last planet from our vast galaxy brought mixed insights, but the decision was approved and supported by numerous studies that focus on qualifying cosmic bodies as a planet. Today, another object in space is being pushed to become part of the solar system's planetary bodies, and the idea was proposed by the same expert responsible for removing Pluto.

Mike Brown and 2006 Delisting of Pluto

The orb-like object is composed of a slightly larger structure than Earth and was charted just a few distances away from the outskirts of our solar system. The potential ninth planet was identified by the Caltech astronomy expert Mike Brown, who was the same person that pushed to remove Pluto from the official solar system planets.

According to The Daily Beast, the experts were very thrilled with announcing a new ninth planet. The expert said that they respect much of Brown's efforts and contributions to the astronomical society; the only thing they had issues with was the declaration back in 2006, where Brown removed the tiny planet, Pluto, out the group. Even NASA's New Horizons mission expert and principal researcher Alan Stern said that Brown was wrong on the decision applied to the ex-planet.

The 2006 removal of Pluto seemingly agitated most scientists and astronomy enthusiasts alike, but time passed, and the issue was eventually forgotten. However, the new announcement on a potential ninth planet triggered the debate again and placed Brown in the spotlight.

Arizona's Planetary Science Institute expert and director Mark Sykes said that the issue that revolved around Pluto more than a decade ago had divided astronomers and enthusiasts alike. Sykes added that the misunderstanding on Pluto's planetary stance did not benefit the people's view on scientific explanations, as it was based on authority.

Is Pluto a Planet?

Pluto was discovered back in almost a century from today. The planet was accidentally charted by the experts of the Lowell Observatory located in Arizona. Pluto was by far the farthest planet recognized, with a distance of over 5 billion kilometers away from Earth.

Pluto became a planet without any controversy, and the decision was made in favor of astronomy's definitive studies. The planet comprises simple features, with a rounded shape, gravity, and striking geological structure. All of the categories Pluto passed to earn the title was developed 500 years ago by the Italian polymath named Galileo Galilei. His definition of a planet was analyzed and made a standard by the experts in the 1930s and is still being used in the modern age.

Brown is still in the phase of earning trust from the community, as he was responsible for delisting the planet Pluto from the planetary group through an appeal that he submitted to the International Astronomical Union. This was after the discovery of another planet named Eris, which is charted at the Kuiper Belt. The Byte reported that Brown classified Eris as a larger planet than Pluto, which redefines the supposed ninth planet into a dwarf category.

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