Will determine the fate of Pluto

Astronomers are meeting in the Czech capital Prague, hoping to bring out the exact standards of a planet. The result will help identify the level of Pluto, found in 1930.

Pluto is discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh in 1930 (Photo: nso.lt)

Experts have long been divided in whether to call Pluto - far too small and significantly smaller than the remaining eight planets in the solar system - as planets.

Controversy is raised when a larger object, called 2003 UB313 (or Xena), was discovered by an American astronomer.

Professor Mike Brown and his colleagues at the California Institute of Technology discovered a few other planetary-type objects in the fringes of the solar system, known as the Kuiper belt.

Now, for the first time, delegations to Prague are required to agree on a standard that identifies planets.

Compare the size of a few planets, satellites of those planets and newly discovered objects.From left to right, top to bottom are earth, moon, Mars, Pluto, celestial body Sedna, Charon satellite of Pluto, celestial body Quaoar and 2003UB313.(Photo: BBC)

But after being measured again by the Hubble space observatory, it was found that 2003 UB313 (Xena) is bigger than Pluto, with a diameter of about 3,000 kilometers.

The meeting started today and is expected to last 12 days.

T. An