Pluto is classified as what because it does not have a clear orbit?

Pluto is classified as what because it does not have a clear orbit?

• A. Inner planet
• B. Outer planet
• C. Dwarf planet
• D. Moon

Answer: (C)

Understanding how we classify bodies in the solar system helps explain Pluto’s label. To be considered a planet, a body must orbit the Sun, be nearly round in shape, and have cleared its orbit of other debris. Pluto meets the first two parts—it's orbiting the Sun and is round—but it hasn’t cleared its orbital neighborhood. Its region, the Kuiper belt, is full of many other icy objects sharing the same space around the Sun, so Pluto hasn’t cleared that area. Because of that, it’s classified as a dwarf planet rather than a full planet. It isn’t an inner or outer planet, and it isn’t a moon because it doesn’t orbit another object, only the Sun.

Understanding how we classify bodies in the solar system helps explain Pluto’s label. To be considered a planet, a body must orbit the Sun, be nearly round in shape, and have cleared its orbit of other debris. Pluto meets the first two parts—it's orbiting the Sun and is round—but it hasn’t cleared its orbital neighborhood. Its region, the Kuiper belt, is full of many other icy objects sharing the same space around the Sun, so Pluto hasn’t cleared that area. Because of that, it’s classified as a dwarf planet rather than a full planet. It isn’t an inner or outer planet, and it isn’t a moon because it doesn’t orbit another object, only the Sun.