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The Great Planet Debate

Do you still think Pluto is a planet or are you happy that it was downsized?

Ever since the International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006, a debate has raged in both the scientific community and the general public as to whether or not Pluto is still the ninth planet of our solar system.

Now it's time for The Great Planet Debate to begin!

Co-sponsored by The Planetary Society, The Great Planet Debate conference (Aug. 14-15) is a scientific session to discuss and debate the processes leading to planet formation and the characteristics and criteria used to define and categorize planets.

On August 14 at 4:30 EDT, Planetary Society President Neil deGrasse Tyson and Mark Sykes of the Planetary Science Institute on August 14 at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory – will hold a special live debate moderated by Ira Flatow, the host of Science Friday on National Public Radio.

The debate will be posted on the web after the event for those not already registered to view the webcast.

Members of The Planetary Society have long been intrigued by Pluto, and their support and advocacy played a significant role in getting the trail-blazing New Horizons Pluto-Kuiper Belt mission launched. Through a tireless campaign of letter writing and petition signing, The Planetary Society kept the pressure on when the mission was cancelled and funding for it cut numerous times.

Now, New Horizons is on its way to Pluto, and in just a few years we will learn much more about that distant object in our solar system -- whether or not it is a planet!

Planetary Society Members helped save the New Horizons Mission to Pluto

Here's what Alan Stern, New Horizons Principal Investigator, has to say about The Planetary Society and its Members:

"The New Horizons team will forever owe a debt of thanks to The Planetary Society for their advocacy of the scientific exploration of the ninth planet and the ancient Kuiper Belt it resides in. The Planetary Society and its members can take pride in their successful efforts to see this historic planetary exploration mission launched."