Demotion of Pluto
The world’s astronomers after a tumultuous debate
have decided to reduce the number of planets to eight.
Little Pluto out in the reaches of the solar system
has been the subject of controversy and criticism.
This body orbiting out in the deep solar space void
is now classified by earth’s sky watchers as a planetoid.
Since the solar system was discovered by Copernicus,
it’s the second time something has lost planetary status.
The object named Ceres was considered as planetary,
but was lessened to an asteroid in the last century.
Some astronomers suspected another planet did dwell.
The search for “Planet X” was begun by Percival Lowell.
The orbits of Uranus and Neptune showed perturbations
by some outer unknown body pulling with gravitations.
For many years, the world’s big telescopes were aimed at the skies.
It was a long and frustrating search causing some tired eyes.
Many astronomers hoped to find this mystery body.
Clyde Tombaugh finally discovered it in 1930.
Pluto has a very large body called Charon for a moon.
A highly eccentric orbit brings it closer than Neptune.
It’s far away where our sun is shining with just a faint glow.
These are a few of the facts astronomers would get to know.
Pluto’s considered one of many things called a “Plutrino”.
It’s the largest of bodies orbiting in the “Kuiper Belt”
Reduction from planetary status is what they all felt.
Copyright © Robert Pettit | Year Posted 2011
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