Posted AT 9:28 AM EST on 25/08/06
Pluto's pink slip
How could they? Instead of adding three planets, members of the International Astronomical Union have stripped Pluto of its status as a planet. Its offence: an oblong orbit that overlaps with Neptune's. Under the new rules that's a no-no. Now there are only eight official planets.
Pluto has been part of the family since 1930. There's even a mnemonic device by which children memorize the planets extending out from the sun: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas.
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