Pluto does not belong to our Solar System as its centre of orbital rotation is not the Sun and it does not lie in the ecliptic planeof the Solar System
Creators: name: Ng, Wenfa
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2017
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics
subject: Cosmology
subject: Planetary Science
subject: Solar System, Solar Physics, Planets and Exoplanets
subject: Space Science
subject: 20110 Stellar Astronomy and Planetary Systems
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Pluto, demoted to dwarf planet in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), is originally the ninth planet of our Solar System. However, examination of its ecliptic plane reveals that it is out of plane with that of other planets in the Solar System. More importantly, Pluto's centre of orbital rotation is not the Sun, but rather, an optically and infrared transparent centre of rotation, which, based on current knowledge, fits contemporary conceptualization of dark matter. Being able to exert gravitational effects, a dark matter body could be the centre of orbital rotation of Pluto as well as other Kuiper Belt objects. Hence, it is important to reframe our understanding of what constitutes a planetary body of a solar system. In principle, to qualify as a planet of a solar system, it must rotate around the star of the solar system in defined and consistent circular orbit, in the same ecliptic plane as the other planets of the system. The second point is of crucial importance as Newton’s laws of motion dictates that two gravitationally attractive bodies would rotate with one as centre of orbital rotation, in a circular manner. Considering the forces of attraction and repulsion that shape the nucleation and accretion of planetary bodies in a solar system, such large bodies typically accrete along circular orbits in the same ecliptic plane as others, which constitutes a critical criterion for determining if a planetary body belongs to a solar system. Implications abound for future confirmation of the dark matter centre of orbital rotation of Pluto through the gravitational microlensing effect, chief of which is that dark matter centre of rotation could exist in astronomical proximity to a stable solar system with a parent star, which highlights that, while dark matter exerts gravitational forces, its magnitude is decidedly weaker than that of matter. The latter point is critical for understanding the constituent basis of dark matter, where weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) is a key candidate requiring experimental verification through cosmological observation of weak gravitational perturbation effects, or detection of its formation and decay at large particle accelerator, or underground quiescent detection experiments. Collectively, based on key considerations that planetary bodies should nucleate in stable circular orbits around a parent star and in the same ecliptic plane as other planets, Pluto cannot be defined as a planet of our Solar System. However, its orbital period around a postulated dark matter centre of mass highlights that it could be a matter based planet of a dark matter body astronomically near to our Solar System, whose existence once confirmed, opens up many interesting paths of inquiries in planetary science and cosmology. Interestingly, findings of a dark matter centre near our Solar System also highlights the possibility that dark matter could co-exist with matter in close proximity without significant negative effects to orbital motions of planets in the solar system.<br>