Lecture, Conway Hall, Wednesday, 3 Jun 2026 - 19:00

Pluto Isn’t a Planet

A detailed image of the dwarf planet Pluto

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union adopted a definition of a planet that demoted Pluto to just one of what is likely hundreds of dwarf planets in our Solar System. Exploring the remote Kuiper Belt, this lecture challenges us to think about what kinds of scientific questions are worth our attention, what it means to name something – and why Pluto is worth caring about anyway.

Professor Chris Lintott

Professor Chris Lintott

Gresham Professor of Astronomy

Professor Chris Lintott is a Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, and a Research Fellow at New College.

Having been educated at Magdalene...

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