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Week 4 - Basic Formatting - Final Output

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Week 4 - Basic Formatting - Final Output

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Marcus McCormick CSWP 010 - 1001 21-08-2024

PLUTO IS NOT A PLANET


Pluto /’pluːtʊ/ was reclassified from a planet to a "dwarf planet" in 2006 by the International
Astronomical Union (IAU). This decision was based on a new definition of what constitutes
a planet.

Planet Criteria
The IAU's definition states that a planet must meet three criteria:
Orbit the Sun: The object must be in orbit around the Sun.
Sufficient Mass for a Nearly Round Shape: The object must have sufficient mass for its
self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a nearly round shape.
Cleared the Neighborhood Around Its Orbit: The object must have cleared the
neighborhood around its orbit, meaning it must be gravitationally dominant, and there
should be no other bodies of comparable size other than its moons or those otherwise under
its gravitational influence in its vicinity.

While Pluto meets the first two criteria, it does not meet the third. Pluto shares its orbital
zone with other objects in the Kuiper Belt, a region of the Solar System beyond Neptune
filled with small icy bodies. Because it has not cleared its orbit of other debris, the IAU
reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet.

Pluto's Moons
Charon: Approximately 1,212 kilometers diameter, mass (1.5897 ± 0.0045) x 1021 kg
Nix: Approximately 49.8 kilometers diameter, mass (2.60 ± 0.52) x 1016 kg
Hydra: Approximately 50.9 kilometers diameter, mass (3.01 ± 0.30) x 1016 kg
Kerberos: Approximately 19 kilometers diameter, mass 1.65 x 1016 kg
Styx: Approximately 16 kilometers diameter, mass of 7.5 x 1015 kg

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