Pluto is Out!

http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/08/24/ap2970909.html

Yep, you read that right. The International Astronomical Union voted today on the decision that's been debated for weeks. And they decided that Pluto is no longer a planet. Our solar system now has 8 planets.

They stated that the definition of a planet is: "a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a ... nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit."

So Pluto definitely doesn't fit that description. That's the verdict.

This is a historic day, everyone. Textbooks will record August 24, 2006 as the day Pluto lost Planethood. We can all say that we know where we were when it happened! Wow...

Read (a lot) more at Google News.

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