• Question: I had a thought that what if the comets floating around in space were really just a part of Pluto but broke up making Pluto smaller. What are your thoughts on this?

    Asked by itssimplyjustme to COLFlight on 11 Oct 2015.
    • Photo: Columbus Flight Directors

      Columbus Flight Directors answered on 11 Oct 2015:

      Sergio:
      Hi!
      I think that usually what happens is the opposite: comets and asteroids are absorbed by the bigger bodies, like planets, when they crash against them. This is because the planet’s gravity attract them and then, after the impact, the gravity of the planet doesn’t let the debris fly away. When this happens, the comets join the planet, making the planet a bit bigger.

      Actually, this is what makes Pluto a “dwarf planet” and not a “planet”. All the planets have already absorbed all the comets, asteroids and meteors close to them, so that they are the only big body in their own orbit.
      This is not valid for Pluto, because on its vicinities there are also other bodies who are almost as big as Pluto himself.

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