Size Doesn't Matter (In Planetary Classification)

Moon Pluto Planets Solar system Dwarf planet Orbit Size comparison Iau

Astronomy Science Universe

2 hours ago 2,541 views 0 shares

Size Doesn't Matter (In Planetary Classification)

astronomy-memes, moon-memes, pluto-memes, planets-memes, solar-system-memes | ScienceHumor.io

Size isn't everything in the cosmic popularity contest! Our Moon (left) is actually bigger than Pluto (right), but doesn't get the planet status because astronomy is basically celestial high school politics. 🌑 > 🪐

The truth? Planets need to "clear their neighborhood" of other objects in their orbit. The Moon is Earth's clingy sidekick that never bothered to dominate its own orbital path. Meanwhile, poor Pluto got kicked out of the planet club in 2006 for the same reason - it's like getting rejected from a party because your gravitational influence isn't cool enough.

So next time someone asks why the Moon isn't a planet despite its size advantage over Pluto, just tell them: "It's not about the size of your celestial body, it's about how you use your gravitational influence!"

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