Dakota County Bygone Bylines: Astronomers Find 9th Planet

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April 25, 1930: Readers of the West St. Paul Booster and Dakota County Globe learn more about the recently discovered ninth planet in the solar system.

This yet-to-be-named planet is a fraction of the size of Neptune, and according to the graphic, is thought to be a similar diameter as earth.

The dark and distant planet was eventually dubbed "Pluto," the Roman name for the Greek god of the underworld. 

In the 1970s, atronomers were able to determine that the ninth planet is a fraction of the size and mass of earth. 

It was all downhill from there. In 2006, Pluto was demoted from planet status to "dwarf planet" for not being the dominant object in its orbit. Tens of thousands of rocky, icy objects have been discovered to inhabit the so-named Kuiper Belt, some of them similar in size to Pluto.

Despite that, the New Horizons spacecraft is scheduled to pass by Pluto in 2015 to provide answers about the celestial body that still linger today. 

will feature a local history item each week. You can check out more events, exhibits and archives at the Dakota County Historical Society, 130 Third Ave. N., South St. Paul.