On the outskirts of the solar sytstem, way beyond the planet Neptune, is a cluster of asteroids called the Kuiper Belt. Everything in the Kuiper belt orbits the sun, but these celestial bodies aren't called planets, because they're too small. Pluto knew all about this, because, during her 273 year orbit of the earth, she always passed through this huge variety of rocks.
Pluto did this because she liked the asteroids. They were free spirits, and because they were so small, a number of them weren't perfect spheres. Instead, they had all sorts of body types, each one unique.
The other planets gawked about their perfect spherical shapes and made fun of Pluto for her oval shaped orbit around the sun. In fact, Pluto's was orbit so non-circular that for 20 years out that 273 year orbit, she was closer to the sun than Neptune. The asteroids in the Kuiper Belt, however, always welcomed Pluto when she visited them for their poetry readings and musical concerts.
"You know, Pluto," said Saturn, who was the queen bee of the plenetary clique, "you really should straighten your step and stop hanging out with those asteroids. They're total losers, and if you don't stop hanging out with them, everybody'll think you're from the Kuiper belt, and nobody who comes from the Kuiper Belt is a real planet. So I think that if you don't stop hanging out with those asteroids, we're going to have to reconsider whether to let you sit with us at lunch. And by the way, where did you get that moon? It's almost as big as you!"
So Pluto tried to straighten her path, and even tried to get rid of her moon, Charon. When she passed through the Kuiper Belt she didn't talk to any of her friends, all to avoid the nasty judgement of the eight planets who sat at the popular table. But she couldn't change who she was, and without her friends, she felt cold and lonely.
Then one day she met a beautiful fellow traveller named Paloma, who glowed with confidence.
"Well, I love your orbit," said Paloma, "it's just like mine, which is so much better than those boring circular orbits. And I think your moon is beautiful."
At Paloma's urging, Pluto wrote poetry of her own, and as she did, she noticed more and more how kind each of the asteroids were, and how they didn't judge her or make fun of her for her moon, her orbit, or the fact that she was a girl named after a god, not a goddess. And the more she wrote, the less she cared about what the other planets thought, until she no longer cared that they didn't even call her a planet anymore.
Today, Pluto reads her poetry at Kuiper Belt coffee houses. She has a loyal following of not just asteroids, but other celestial bodies with orbits that are even more oval shaped than Pluto.
And when she reads, the loudest cheers always come the friend who taught her the joy of just being herself, the Comet Paloma.
Pluto did this because she liked the asteroids. They were free spirits, and because they were so small, a number of them weren't perfect spheres. Instead, they had all sorts of body types, each one unique.
The other planets gawked about their perfect spherical shapes and made fun of Pluto for her oval shaped orbit around the sun. In fact, Pluto's was orbit so non-circular that for 20 years out that 273 year orbit, she was closer to the sun than Neptune. The asteroids in the Kuiper Belt, however, always welcomed Pluto when she visited them for their poetry readings and musical concerts.
"You know, Pluto," said Saturn, who was the queen bee of the plenetary clique, "you really should straighten your step and stop hanging out with those asteroids. They're total losers, and if you don't stop hanging out with them, everybody'll think you're from the Kuiper belt, and nobody who comes from the Kuiper Belt is a real planet. So I think that if you don't stop hanging out with those asteroids, we're going to have to reconsider whether to let you sit with us at lunch. And by the way, where did you get that moon? It's almost as big as you!"
So Pluto tried to straighten her path, and even tried to get rid of her moon, Charon. When she passed through the Kuiper Belt she didn't talk to any of her friends, all to avoid the nasty judgement of the eight planets who sat at the popular table. But she couldn't change who she was, and without her friends, she felt cold and lonely.
Then one day she met a beautiful fellow traveller named Paloma, who glowed with confidence.
"Well, I love your orbit," said Paloma, "it's just like mine, which is so much better than those boring circular orbits. And I think your moon is beautiful."
At Paloma's urging, Pluto wrote poetry of her own, and as she did, she noticed more and more how kind each of the asteroids were, and how they didn't judge her or make fun of her for her moon, her orbit, or the fact that she was a girl named after a god, not a goddess. And the more she wrote, the less she cared about what the other planets thought, until she no longer cared that they didn't even call her a planet anymore.
Today, Pluto reads her poetry at Kuiper Belt coffee houses. She has a loyal following of not just asteroids, but other celestial bodies with orbits that are even more oval shaped than Pluto.
And when she reads, the loudest cheers always come the friend who taught her the joy of just being herself, the Comet Paloma.
