The Story of Pluto

It’s been seven years since we’ve had only eight planets in our solar system. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted to change the definition of a planet. It now excludes Pluto, but the ex-planet is part of a larger group of dwarf planets. The little ice ball’s demotion as some are wont to call it continues to be a point of contention and confusion. People want to know what happened to Pluto, and why the solar system they grew up with has suddenly changed. I’ve written two articles about Pluto, one recapping its story and another responding to criticism from pluto huggers about its demotion; the latter remains one of my most read articles. And I still get questions about it all the time. So I decided to make a short video explaining, in brief, what exactly happened to Pluto.