Pluto on Thursday lost its seven-decade status as the ninth and outermost planet of the solar system, the world's top astrononomical body decided. The decision was made at an assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). "The eight planets are Mercury, Earth, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune," said the IAU.
The question of whether Pluto is a real planet, hotly debated by scientists for decades, came to a head on Wednesday when the global astronomers' body proposed a definition of a planet that raises their number to 12 from nine. Pluto would remain a planet but would fall into a newly created category called "plutons".
