MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO / AFP
A longstanding scientific debate resurfaces, now reaching into the American political arena by the NASA chief in an interview with the Daily Mail.
Twenty years after being reclassified as a dwarf planet, Pluto is making headlines in the United States. Not due to a scientific discovery, but in an unexpected context as the debate is reignited even in political spheres.
Originally, NASA chief Jared Isaacman took a stance. In an interview with the Daily Mail titled “Let’s Restore Pluto’s Greatness,” he stated his support for President Trump’s action to restore Pluto’s planet status. “I support President Trump 100% in this project,” he declared.
This position is also justified by a form of historical recognition: according to him, it is about “restoring it to its rightful place” the discovery of Pluto, dating back to 1930 and credited to American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh.
Behind this position, several logics unfold: a scientific dispute never completely closed, a form of national pride around an American discovery, and more recently, a political exploitation of the subject.
The sequence is surprising. Because the question of Pluto’s status seemed, in theory, settled since 2006. That year, the International Astronomical Union redefined the criteria for qualifying a celestial body as a planet. To be classified as such, a celestial body must notably have “cleared” its orbit, meaning it must exert gravitational dominance over its environment.
As Pluto did not meet this condition, it was then reclassified as a dwarf planet.
Musk, Shatner, NASA as a support committee
Since then, the question remains debated, even within the scientific community.
Some researchers advocate for a broader definition, taking more into account the geological or atmospheric characteristics of celestial bodies, which would allow Pluto to regain its initial status. In other words, beyond the symbol, it is also the very definition of a planet that is at stake.
But these discussions, long confined to the scientific field, are now taking on a more political turn.
Several public figures have recently come out in favor of Pluto’s return to grace. Actor William Shatner, for example, criticized astronomers’ decision, calling for it to end. Elon Musk has also expressed support for this idea. Among some of President Trump’s supporters, the idea takes on a more political, almost identity-based dimension, in line with slogans like “Make America Great Again.” A scientific topic that has gradually become a political communication object.
However, in practice, the classification of planets is not a political decision.
It depends on the International Astronomical Union, whose resolutions are binding on the scientific community. Any potential intervention by Donald Trump, even in the form of a decree, would not affect this definition.
Twenty years after its reclassification, Pluto continues to evoke attachment and controversies, to the extent that it now asserts itself in the American public debate.
