Charlie White, now aged 5, challenges International Astronomical Union over Pluto’s status

Pluto was reclassified from a planet to a dwarf planet in 2006. Many still don’t understand why, including five-year old Charlie from Smithfield. So he wrote to the International Astronomical Union.

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Little Charlie White of Smithfield is a big fan of the solar system, so he was sad to learn Pluto was no longer a planet.

With the help of his teacher Kathleen Dowling at Munno Para Kindergarten, he wrote to the International Astronomical Union to challenge the decision.

“We don’t agree with your decision with Pluto,” the letter read.

“We want it to be a big planet.”

With the help of his teacher Kathleen Dowling at Munno Para Kindergarten, Charlie White, then aged 4, wrote to he wrote to the International Astronomical Union to challenge their decision on Pluto. Supplied: Australian Academy of Science.

Astrophysicist and Australian Academy of Science Fellow, Professor Elaine Sadler, replied, explaining that Pluto failed to meet one of three rules.

“Pluto orbits around the sun and is round but has other large objects in its orbit,” she wrote.

“Because Pluto is small, it doesn’t have enough gravity to get rid of all these other objects in its orbit.”

While Charlie, now five, says he is “upset still” about the decision, it has not dented his enthusiasm for space and he dreams of becoming an astronomer. The next question on his mind is: “Why does Mars have the highest mountain in the whole solar system?”

Mum Leticia White, 41, says her son’s interest in space was sparked at childcare and further developed at kindy but even she was surprised when he decided he “wanted to be the solar system” for Book Week.

She bought an astronaut suit and was encouraged to go the extra mile with some balls, paint and a hoop.

Now in reception at St Columba College, Andrews Farm, Charlie is perhaps a little young for the free Future Proof Space Jobs Forum at the Scott Theatre, University of Adelaide at 6pm on Thursday February 6, 2020.

But high-school students, parents and educators are encouraged to attend. They can hear from Adelaide’s own astronaut, Andy Thomas, as well as experts in the field of off-earth resources, space mining and nanosatellites.

Register to attend at bit.ly/space-jobs-forum