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A composite image of all the planets in our solar system except Pluto. From the top is Mercury (taken by the Mariner 10 spacecraft); Venus (taken by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter); a full disk of the Earth (taken by the Apollo 17 astronauts); the Moon and then Mars (captured from ground-based telescopes); and Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune (as seen by the Voyager spacecraft). (Photo illustration courtesy of NASA)
Pluto's demotion
Broadcast: Midday, 08/25/2006, 11:06 a.m.
Pluto, the ninth planet, is a planet no more. Scientists attending the International Astronomical Union meeting in Prague voted Thursday to strip Pluto of its planet status and rename it a "dwarf planet." What will Pluto's demotion mean for astronomers and school children?
Guests
Robert Pepin: Professor of physics at the University of Minnesota. Pepin has been working with NASA since the Apollo moon mission days.
Audio
- Pluto's demotion (program audio)
Photos
More from MPR
- Voices of Minnesota: Robert Pepin (02/01/2005)
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