Isaacman says it should be \u2014 but it hasn\u2019t been one for 20 years. That\u2019s because of a decision from the International Astronomical Union<\/a>, which said it met the definition of a dwarf planet due to the other objects that orbit chilly Pluto. But, critics point out that Earth and Jupiter share orbital space with asteroids<\/a> and research since 2006 has revealed more about Pluto.<\/p>\n \u201cI am very much in the camp of [making] Pluto a planet again,\u201d the billionaire SpaceX astronaut told Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran Tuesday in a hearing<\/a> on Capitol Hill, adding that some papers were underway to \u201crevisit this discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n He had previously responded<\/a> to a post<\/a> on the social media platform X asking for him to make Pluto a planet again. \u201cWe are looking into this,\u201d Isaacman wrote. The position also has continued support from former Administrator Jim Bridenstine<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, experts on Pluto remain very much divided on the issue. <\/p>\n \u201cWhile NASA administrators are free to wax nostalgic for the days when Pluto was a planet, the actual scientists working in the field will continue to try to explain and classify objects in the solar system in the way that actually helps us understand the world in which we live,\u201d Mike Brown, a professor of planetary astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, told The Independent in an email.<\/p>\n Brown, who announced in 2016 that he had found evidence for a ninth planet<\/a> at 5,000 times the mass of Pluto, had a hand<\/a> in the International Astronomical Union\u2019s decision and wrote a book about killing Pluto\u2019s status as a planet in 2011<\/a>.<\/p>\n The union acknowledges that its decision continues to fuel intense emotions \u2014 but that its definition of what makes a planet remains accurate, a spokesperson also told The Independent.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand that many people feel Pluto was \u2018demoted; but in fact, Pluto became the leading object of a new family of solar system bodies,\u201d Ramasamy Venugopal, press and media coordinator for the International Astronomical Union, wrote in an emailed statement. \u201c…Scientific classifications are determined through international consensus and evidence-based processes. While they are not subject to unilateral change, they can be amended if the supporting evidence changes.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam Frank, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester, said that the science behind demoting Pluto was \u201creally important and really exciting.\u201d Frank wrote a piece in Forbes<\/a> on Tuesday telling people to quit \u201cwhining\u201d about Pluto\u2019s fate.<\/p>\n \u201cPluto is part of the rest of the solar system, the outer parts that are construction debris left over from building the planets. We didn\u2019t know this just 30 years ago,\u201d he told The Independent.<\/p>\n Still, others are not as settled on the terminology. <\/p>\n \u201cOf course Pluto’s a planet, but it is a dwarf planet, a subspecies of planet. The argument seems to swirl about those who wish to say whether dwarf planets are or are not planets. This is a waste of time,\u201d Bill McKinnon, Director of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, told The Independent. \u201cPluto is part of the rest of the solar system, the outer parts that are construction debris left over from building the planets. We didn\u2019t know this just 30 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPluto is round, has an atmosphere, active geology and five (!) moons. What more does a planet need?\u201d he asked, noting that he wasn\u2019t trying to pretend it\u2019s as big or in the same category as Mars or Earth.<\/p>\n Pluto was discovered in 1930 by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh and named \u2013 after the Greek god of the underworld \u2013\u00a0by an 11-year-old English girl named Venetia Burney, according to NASA<\/a>. It was declared the ninth planet in our solar system. <\/p>\n Although it is only about 1,400 miles wide \u2013 half the width of the U.S. \u2013 recent findings show that it may harbor a deep ocean<\/a>, contain an \u201cactive\u201d heart<\/a> and have icy mountains<\/a> rising as high as 11,000 feet.<\/p>\n But, the thing is that there are many other dwarf planets out there. The union has only recognized five so far, but more than 100<\/a> may wait to be discovered, the space agency notes. And Ceres, which was also previously classified as a planet, is closer to Earth and is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.<\/p>\n![\"NASA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2026-04-28T171641Z_1893132380_RC2FYKAO8JR3_RTRMADP_3_USA-CONGRESS-NASA.jpg\")
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said he was on the side of Pluto becoming a planet in our Solar System again. But experts remain at odds (Reuters)<\/p>\n![\"Pluto's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PLUTO.jpeg\")
Pluto’s ‘heart’ is captured by NASA\u2019s New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015 (NASA\/JHUAPL\/SwRI)<\/p>\n![\"NASA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/480667826.jpg\")
NASA scientists sent an unmanned spacecraft to fly by Pluto in 2015, capturing images of its icy mountains (Getty)<\/p>\n