An Arizona lawmaker wants to make Pluto, the much maligned dwarf planet, the official planet of the state.
Republican Rep. Justin Wilmeth introduced the legislation granting Pluto, once considered the ninth and farthest planet in the solar system, an official state designation. Now he’ll have to win the approval of his fellow lawmakers and Gov. Katie Hobbs.
"People can argue if Pluto is a planet or a dwarf planet. That's not the point. The point is to be proud of our historical significance as a state in the history of American astronomy," Wilmeth said.
Wilmeth recently toured an expansion project at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff that reminded him Pluto was discovered there.
The International Astronomical Union demoted the solar system’s once-ninth planet in 2006.
