Pluto will always be a ninth planet to me

When I was a mere lad of 5, I fell in love with space, not just the space around us but outer space, deep space. I remember when Alan Shepard lifted off the launch pad and into the history books as the first American in space. I remember watching all the Gemini and Apollo missions and 12 men walking on the moon.

As a teenager I fell in love with astronomy, particularly the nine planets in our solar system and our sun. As a high school junior, I studied the rotation of the sun and in my senior year wrote a paper on this project and presented it at the state Junior Academy of Science competition in Conway in 1975. I took second place in the physical science division of that competition.

As I grow older, I still find myself looking up at the night sky, my eyes drawn to my favorite planet, Jupiter. At other times of the year, I lie on the grass and watch Saturn, Venus, Mars, Mercury and, of course, Jupiter as they move across the heavens.

Over the years, I have tried to find Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in the night sky but to no avail. I, like so many other stargazers, have to rely on the spectacular images of Uranus and Neptune from the many National Aeronautics and Space Administration deep space probes. But what about Pluto?

In recent years, a debate has been raging over the fate of the ninth planet in our solar system.

Pluto, or Planet X as it was originally called in the early 1900s, was first theorized to exist by Percival Lowell, a noted American astronomer of the 19th and early 20th century. Lowell believed that Uranus' and Neptune's fluctuating obits were caused by the gravitational pull of a mystery planet orbiting outside that of the two gas giants. He photographed the planet in 1906 but sadly died a few years later before he could finish his work.

In a twist of fate, Planet X, now known as Pluto, was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh, a self-taught astronomer working at the famed Lowell Observatory near Flagstaff, Ariz., on Feb. 18, 1930. His discovery landed Pluto as the ninth and final planet in our solar system.

However, in August of 2006, the International Astronomical Union down-graded Pluto to a dwarf planet, leaving our solar system with only eight planets. This created an uproar and sparked a debate in the astronomical community that still rages today. Many astronomers parted company with the IAU and continued to acknowledge Pluto as our farthest neighbor in our solar system. In an ironic twist of fate, a mission that would answer many questions about this planet was launched on Jan. 19, seven months earlier.

I grew up with the knowledge that Pluto was part of our planetary family, and always will believe it is a part of our solar system. In fact, their are still people around the world that don't know that Pluto was down-graded to a dwarf planet. But the debate may soon take a different direction.

On July 14, NASA's New Horizon spacecraft flew by Pluto collecting data and taking photographs. This will be the first time that mankind has ever had a closeup view of Lowell and Tombaugh's discovery. The data the scientists have discovered may force the international community to rethink the status of Pluto as a planet. As they got closer, scientists discovered that the planet is much larger then they originally thought. For years Pluto was believed to be 736 miles in diameter. As New Horizon drew closer to the planet, they were able to record an accurate measurement. They found that Pluto is actually 1,473 miles in diameter, 43 miles less then Mercury. If the IAU leaves Pluto's status as a dwarf planet, it may have to demote Mercury's status as well.

What other new discoveries will astronomers make about the ninth planet?

Just to set the record straight, the planet was named after the Roman god of the underworld. The dog born in 1930 was named after the planet.

I believe that, in light of recent discoveries by the New Horizon spacecraft, Pluto's brief nine-year reign as a dwarf planet will come to an end and that Pluto will regain its planetary status and will never again be demoted to something it never was. In my mind and heart, Pluto will always remain the ninth planet in the Sol solar system, in the Milky Way Galaxy, and in the vast universe we all call home. Thank you, NASA!

NOTE: Clyde Tombaugh is riding on the New Horizon spacecraft as a passenger, of sorts. His ashes were included with the payload on the spacecraft. They will remain on the spacecraft as long as it survives the riggors of deep space. A fitting tribute to a scientist who gave so much to the profession he so dearly loved.

Mike Eckels is a reporter for the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Editorial on 07/22/2015