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TO BE OR NOT TO BE, PLUTO

Ever since Pluto was discovered in the early twentieth century, there has been controversy over its status as a major planet. Technology was extremely limited compared to what is available today. It was by tracking the larger planets and using Newtonian physics, that Pluto was found. Pluto's position was estimated by calculating its gravitational effects on the orbits of the other planets. Through these calculations, Pluto was estimated to be a certain mass and be within a certain area. This area was then searched relentlessly using Earth based telescopes. Early in astronomy, moving objects in space was found by comparing two images taken a period of time apart. Differences within the two images represent a moving object against a background of distant nonmoving stars. So when Pluto was found, it was nothing more than a pinpoint of light on a plate negative. At the time it was only through observations from Earth and an educated guess, did we......

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Approximate Word Count: 3291
Approximate Pages: 14 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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