Find out more!

For kids

What is Pluto?” by Sandra May (2015). NASA Knows! (Grades K-4). http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-pluto-k4.html.

This is a more scientific explanation of why Pluto isn’t a planet anymore. It’s more scientific, and it uses more complicated words, but it’s still made for kids!

For grown-ups

These webpages can help adults to understand more about why Pluto is now called a dwarf planet.

Pluto Demoted: No Longer a Planet in Highly Controversial Definition” by Robert Roy Britt (2006, August 26). http://www.space.com/2791-pluto-demoted-longer-planet-highly-controversial-definition.html

This is a news update from the day scientists decided that Pluto wasn't really a planet. It gives both sides of the argument, and also gives links to much more information about the change.

Pluto and the Developing Landscape of Our Solar System”. International Astronomical Union. http://www.iau.org/public/themes/pluto

This is an article from the website of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the group of scientists who decided to officially change Pluto to a dwarf planet. It gives explanations, along with a series of specific questions and answers about Pluto and other related items within the Solar System.

Dwarf planet” (2016, March 8). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dwarf_planet

Wikipedia offers a detailed overview of the concept of dwarf planets, as well as helpful links to further reading. This article also includes a brief description of the IAU’s decision to reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet and the controversy surrounding the decision.