there are eight recognized planets in our solar system. These are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Regarding Pluto, its planetary status has been a subject of debate and revision in recent years. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the organization responsible for classifying celestial objects, introduced a new definition of a planet. According to this definition, a planet must meet three criteria:
- It must orbit the Sun.
- It must be spherical in shape, or nearly so, due to its own gravity.
- It must have cleared its orbit of other debris.
Pluto, while meeting the first two criteria, does not satisfy the third one. It shares its orbit with numerous other objects in the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune that contains many icy bodies. Based on this criterion, the IAU reclassified Pluto as a "dwarf planet" rather than a full-fledged planet.
So, according to the IAU's definition, Pluto is not considered a planet, but a dwarf planet. However, it's important to note that there is ongoing debate and differing opinions within the scientific community and the general public regarding Pluto's status. Some argue that the definition of a planet should be revised or expanded to include Pluto, while others support the IAU's classification. The topic remains a subject of discussion and may continue to evolve in the future.