What did Pluto do wrong to be "expelled" from the solar system?

In the vast universe, the solar system is a unique home that contains planets of all shapes and sizes. Among these planets, the eight planets have attracted the attention of many explorers because of their mysterious charm and endless mysteries.

▏Eight planets in the solar system

First of all, we cannot fail to mention the Sun, the core of the solar system. It emits strong light and heat, providing a constant source of energy for the entire solar system. Next, we come to Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun. The temperature difference between day and night on the surface of Mercury is extremely large. After countless years of baptism, its surface features appear vicissitudes and ancient.

Venus, a planet covered in thick clouds, is a distinctive planet. The high carbon dioxide content in Venus' atmosphere causes a strong greenhouse effect, making its surface temperature high enough to melt lead.

Earth, our home, is the only planet in the solar system known to have life. It rotates and revolves according to specific natural laws, creating an environment where the seasons change and everything grows. From blue oceans to verdant forests, from rugged mountains to vast deserts, the Earth's landscape is rich and diverse, providing a place for life to thrive.

Mars, as our "near neighbor", has an impressive red surface. Its unique landforms, extreme weather and mysterious atmosphere make it a popular target for human exploration.

Jupiter, the giant of the solar system, is amazing for its sheer size and mass. It has hundreds of satellites, the four largest of which are called the Galilean satellites. Jupiter's cloud layer is thick and colorful, presenting a beautiful scene of orange and white.

Saturn is famous for its spectacular rings. These rings are made of ice, rocks and dust, adding a sense of mystery to Saturn. Saturn also has many satellites, the largest of which is Titan, known as Saturn's "moon". Saturn's cloud layer is relatively thin, showing bright yellow and light brown.

Finally, we come to Uranus, a blue planet with extremely low surface temperatures. Despite its surface temperature of tens of degrees Kelvin, Uranus has an extremely extreme climate. At the same time, it has a hot core and an icy surface, making this planet full of mysteries and unsolved mysteries. Uranus is unique for its strong magnetic field and complexity. In contrast, Neptune is like a fringe guard of the solar system. As one of the most distant planets from the sun, it is known for its deep blue color and harsh climate. On this planet, storms and clouds interweave to form a spectacular natural picture.

The eight planets in the solar system are all charming and mysterious, each with its own unique formation history, climate characteristics, geological structure and ecological environment. Exploration of these planets not only helps us gain a deeper understanding of the structure of the universe, but also reveals clues to the origin of life.

Although we have a certain understanding of the solar system, this is just the tip of the iceberg. With the rapid development of science and technology and the deepening of exploration missions, we have reason to expect that more mysteries about the solar system and its eight planets will be revealed in the future. However, it is worth mentioning that there were once nine planets in the solar system, but Pluto has been excluded, which is undoubtedly a regret in the history of the solar system.

Pluto

Pluto, as a dwarf planet in the solar system, has characteristics that are frightening. Its extremely low temperature, according to NASA probes, its surface temperature is as low as minus 233 degrees Celsius, which is almost a desolate place where life cannot survive. Moreover, because it is located at the edge of the solar system, it is often attacked by cosmic rays and solar winds, which pose a considerable threat to probes. Pluto's atmosphere is extremely thin, almost unworthy of its name, and is mainly composed of nitrogen and methane, which easily condense into ice at low temperatures. With the influence of high-energy radiation from the sun, these ices will be converted into gases and escape into space, causing Pluto's atmosphere to be extremely unstable.

Pluto's surface is also full of terrifying elements. A large number of cliffs and ice fields make up its landforms. These landforms made of nitrogen ice reflect the long years of wind, frost, rain and snow that Pluto has experienced. What's even more frightening is that Pluto's surface is covered with terrible "scars", which are witnesses of its history of impacts, making people feel awe for this planet.

Although we have sent probes to explore Pluto, our understanding of it is still limited to the surface. With the advancement of science and technology, our understanding of the solar system is getting deeper and deeper, but Pluto is far away from the sun and has a low temperature environment, so our understanding is still limited. Although there are probes flying over Pluto, due to its location and harsh environment, the risk of damage to the probe is extremely high, resulting in our understanding of Pluto still remaining at the surface data.

In the future, we look forward to sending more robust probes to explore Pluto in depth. By studying the surface and internal structure of Pluto, we can better understand the evolutionary history of the solar system and the evolution of the early universe. At the same time, by studying Pluto's magnetic field and atmospheric composition, we can reveal the mysteries of its climate change and chemical reactions.

▏Why Pluto is not considered a planet

This stems from a revision of the definition of a planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2006. According to the new definition, a celestial body must meet three basic conditions to be called a planet: first, it must revolve around a parent star; second, it should have enough mass and gravity to form a roughly spherical structure; and finally, it must clear other surrounding material in its orbit. Pluto, located in an area called the Kuiper Belt (a ring-shaped region around the sun composed mainly of icy objects), is considered to fail to meet the third condition of the definition of a planet. Although Pluto is one of the largest objects in the Kuiper Belt, its mass is much smaller than that of the other planets.

In addition, there are many objects of similar size around Pluto, which means that it has not cleared other matter from its orbit. Therefore, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided not to classify Pluto as a planet in the solar system. However, this decision has caused widespread controversy and discussion. Some astronomers believe that Pluto has enough mass and gravity to clear matter from its orbit, so it should be considered a planet. However, according to the IAU definition and standards, Pluto does not meet all the necessary conditions to become a planet.

Although Pluto is no longer classified as one of the nine planets in the solar system, our love and curiosity for it remain undiminished. This unfathomable celestial body is still shrouded in mystery, constantly attracting scientists' attention. Future research will hopefully reveal more mysteries of Pluto and similar celestial bodies, and may even discover new members of the solar system. In the vast solar system, Pluto may no longer be a planet, but its unique position in the field of astronomy is still irreplaceable.

The existence of Pluto challenges our traditional understanding of planet formation and prompts us to re-examine and redefine the concept of a planet. Regardless of whether it is ultimately recognized as a planet, Pluto will continue to inspire our curiosity and desire to explore. In fact, Pluto's reclassification has opened a new window for us, allowing us to glimpse deeper into the solar system. At the same time, Pluto's neighbors, such as Eris and other icy objects, have also begun to come into view. The mass and size of these celestial bodies are comparable to Pluto, or even larger, which has sparked new discussions about how they should be classified.

▏Could there be ancient viruses frozen in time on Pluto?

Although it's no longer considered a planet, Pluto's existence still adds endless fascination to our universe. A recent study has even proposed a shocking hypothesis: Pluto may have ancient viruses frozen in time.

Once upon a time, we thought that Pluto was a barren planet that could not support life. However, with the advancement of technology and in-depth research, scientists gradually discovered that Pluto is not as dead as we imagined. Under the thick layer of ice covering its surface, there is a mysterious component called "Pluto-specific organic matter". This substance is extremely rare on Earth, but it is very abundant on Pluto. This discovery has brought about earth-shaking changes in our understanding of Pluto and revealed more secrets about the solar system and the universe.

Scientists have begun to explore the mystery of whether Pluto could have life. Now, the topic has reached a new level: Pluto may be a planet that breeds frozen ancient viruses. The basis for this inference comes from the special properties of the material on Pluto's surface, combined with our understanding of the vitality of viruses on Earth. Scientists believe that viruses have the ability to survive in extreme environments and remain active for a long time. Looking back on the history of the Earth, we have encountered similar viruses that were sealed in glaciers, revived over time, and even evolved into new species.

Although this hypothesis is still in the research stage, its importance cannot be ignored. If Pluto really has frozen ancient viruses, it will overturn our understanding of the origin of life in the solar system and deepen our understanding of the vitality of viruses. In the future, we may conduct more in-depth exploration of Pluto to further uncover the secrets of this icy planet.

Scientists are planning new space expeditions to dig deeper into the mysteries of Pluto. Take the New Horizons probe, for example, which is scheduled to return to Pluto in 2026, hoping to collect more data about this mysterious planet. In addition, some scientists have proposed bolder ideas, such as sending unmanned probes deep into Pluto for direct exploration. These exploration missions are expected to reveal more secrets of Pluto, including whether it is really a frozen place for ancient viruses.

However, whether Pluto hides frozen viruses has a deeper meaning behind our in-depth understanding of the evolutionary history of the solar system. After all, there may be other life forms hidden in the solar system that we have not yet discovered. On the road to exploring the universe, we face many unknown challenges.

▏ About the exploration of the universe

Answering these unknowns will take time. In the coming years and even decades, scientists will continue to study Pluto and other dwarf planets in the solar system in depth, looking for signs of life. Maybe one day, we will discover new forms of life on these planets, even intelligent life. But no matter what the results are, we should be cautiously optimistic. Exploring signs of life in the solar system is full of exciting moments, but also comes with risks and challenges. After all, we can't predict what surprises this journey of exploration will bring us.

One day, we may cross the interstellar barrier and set foot on Pluto, the most distant planet in the solar system. It is an icy world surrounded by endless darkness and cold. However, it is such a seemingly desolate planet that has the most unique natural wonders in the universe. On Pluto, the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, which is completely opposite to the scene on Earth. This gives us a new understanding of the saying "the sun rises in the west."

Pluto is extremely far from the sun. It takes five hours for sunlight to reach its surface, which makes the temperature of Pluto extremely low, averaging about minus 223 degrees. Such an environment is extremely harsh for humans, and Pluto has become a planet unsuitable for human habitation. But even so, it is still one of the important goals of scientists in exploring the universe and searching for life.

Pluto's rotation period around the sun is 248 times that of the Earth, which means that for Pluto, 248 years of Earth is only equal to one year of Pluto. For humans, if they want to set foot on Pluto, they not only need super physical and mental qualities to cope with its extreme environment, but also a new understanding of time.

Even if we were to step onto Pluto in the most advanced space suits, we wouldn't be able to truly feel how a year on Pluto lasts, because that's far beyond our lifetime. This is a whole new challenge to our perception of time, a time scale that we can hardly experience firsthand.

Although we cannot directly experience a year on Pluto, scientists can understand the uniqueness of this planet by studying the laws and changes of Pluto's movement. These research results will provide important references for our human exploration of the universe.

One day in the future, when we look back at this distant planet, we may deeply feel the power of science and technology, the desire for the unknown, and the spirit of mankind that never gives up. All of this stems from our curiosity about the universe and our pursuit of knowledge. Although Pluto is not suitable for human habitation, its existence and characteristics provide us with an important opportunity to study the universe and understand the solar system. It allows us to see the fragility of life and the greatness of nature, and also makes us cherish the earth we live on even more.

(Picture from the Internet)

Author | Kiwi graduated from Lincoln University in New Zealand with a degree in Finance. He has a strong interest in popular science knowledge and has published popular science articles in many popular science journals. He pays attention to facts and actively explores cutting-edge technology.