Kamal Ghorui
“My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas.” Growing up, many of us memorised the planets through playful mnemonics. Over time, however, a revised version emerged: “My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us Nuts,” reflecting a significant change in our solar system. The poem this time ended on Neptune.Pluto, once considered the ninth planet, was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 and removed from the official lineup. The decision didn’t just reshape textbooks. It also sparked imagination and emotion, inspiring poems and metaphors.What it also seemed to bring in was a heartfelt appeal from a 10-year-old.10-year-old Kaela, determined to make her voice heard, wrote to Nasa with a simple but earnest request: “Please make Pluto a planet again. I really want it to be a planet again,” as she went on to list the “reasons that Pluto should be a planet again.”“It is part of our solar system and used to be a planet; It is a dwarf planet and deserves to be an actual planet; It might make a lot of people happy,” she listed.Reiterating her plea, she added, “It might not be your choice, but if it is, please, please, please make it a planet. It would make me very, very happy. If you can’t make it an actual planet, please consider it a planet… it will make me and my friends very happy.”To strengthen her case, Kaela included a list of facts demonstrating her knowledge. She wrote, “”Here are some facts to prove I know about Pluto — Pluto is a dwarf planet; Pluto is located in the Kuiper belt; Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh; Pluto is smaller than Earth’s moon; Pluto has five known moons. Thank you NASA Bye!”Her letter, shared by a user on X, caught the attention of Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman, who responded with a brief but encouraging note: “Kaela – We are looking into this.”Kaela’s letter has drawn widespread attention, and any future reconsideration of Pluto’s status would inevitably recall the little changemaker’s engagement.
