The debate has ended after nearly a decade. While a mere 4% of the world’s astronomers played a part in the final decision, the conclusion has been dubbed “official” to all the scientific community.

For all those Pluto lovers out there, you’re out of luck. No, not the dog. Not even the Lord of the Underworld. No, the Pluto we’re talking about was once considered the ninth planet in our solar system, with its satellite moon Charon being so massive that the two were at one point actually considered a two-planet system.

The votes are in, regardless of how little of the scientific community they represent--Pluto is no longer a planet.

Rather, according to the initial astronomers who proposed the change, it has been demoted to a “dwarf planet,” a status also assigned to the celestial body Ceres that lies between Mars and Jupiter. This status has also been given to what were once called new planets orbiting further out than Pluto.

Needless to say, this has the discoverers of what the media has in the past called “tenth planets” less than satisfied. Many regard this demotion of their work as an all-out slap in the face. As one stated in an Associated Press report, “As of now, I have no longer discovered a planet.”

Opinions in the rest of the astronomical community are mixed. One proponent of the change in definition stated that it was “the right thing to do,” while others find it “unnecessary.”

This recent decision is the result of a debate extending back into the ’90s, which tended to go in circles with out any final decisions made.

Scientists in favor of this change regard it as proof of progress in science, stating that it signifies our ever-increasing knowledge of the universe around us. Others find it difficult to accept that the nine planets they were educated about in elementary school have been replaced with a more “correct” model.

We’ll bring you further coverage of this story as it develops.

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