News Astronomy

From planet to plutoid

Pluto and its kind get new name

By Ashley Yeager

- More than 2 years ago

Pluto now has a family of its own, after astronomers have struggled for years to give it a place among its celestial brethren.

Family for Pluto
TITLE-PERFECT PLUTOIDS The dwarf planet, Pluto, and its counterpart Eris are the first two members of a new class of objects called plutoids. Both lie beyond Neptune and are large enough that gravity pulls them into spherical forms.