Because Pluto is so dim, you need a telescope to see it. “A backyard telescope could do it under the right conditions,” says ...

Pluto's status has been a heated debate for decades with arguing over a dwarf planet classification. Here's what international standards say in 2023.

Pluto was once considered the ninth planet in the solar system. It was demoted in 2006. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works ...

If it weren't for the new budget, New Horizons could keep exploring the outer reaches of the solar system into the 2030s.

Pluto was the little planet that could — until it couldn’t. Discovered in 1930 at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona , Pluto was hailed as the ninth planet in our solar system.

Pluto was discovered in 1930 in Arizona, but in 2006 scientists decided to cut Pluto from the planetary line up. Here is why Pluto isn't a planet.

When did Pluto stop being a planet, and why? Pluto was always in a tough spot when it came to being a planet. Just 1,477 miles across, it's only one-fifth the diameter of Earth.

Planet X or not, Pluto existed. Smaller than the Moon, but inhabiting the realm of the giant planets, it defied our notions regarding the architecture of the Solar System.

Pluto, therefore, is not the gravitationally dominant object in its neighborhood — and thus, not a planet, according to the new definition. Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now ...

But why isn't Pluto considered a planet anymore? It starts with the definition of a planet — or lack thereof. Before 2006, there weren't strict criteria for a planet.

When the International Astronomical Union (IAU) demoted Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet in 2006, it surprised a lot of people, including some scientists.