Pluto was first discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh in 1930 through multiple observations of the planetary system. Advances in telescope technology and further discoveries of planetary bodies in the 21st century started the debate on the status of Pluto as a planet. The IAU on 24 Aug 06 decided to adopt a set of new rules for a planet: "a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit." In essence, the oblong orbit of Pluto that goes into Neptune’s elliptical orbital path disqualifies Pluto as one of the planets in the solar system.
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