--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It used to be said that Pluto is a…" description: "\"It used to be said that Pluto is a misfit. But now we know Earth is the misfit. This is the most populous class of planet in our solar system and we ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/alan-stern-5283_class_it-used-to-be-said-that-pluto-is-a-misfi_38290.png" --- # It used to be said that Pluto is a misfit. But now we know… ![“It used to be said that Pluto is a misfit. But now we know Earth is the misfit. This is the most populous class of planet in our solar system and we have never sent a mission to this class.” quote by Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/alan-stern-5283_class_it-used-to-be-said-that-pluto-is-a-misfi_38290.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/alan-stern-5283_class_it-used-to-be-said-that-pluto-is-a-misfi_38290.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/alan-stern-5283_class_it-used-to-be-said-that-pluto-is-a-misfi_38290.png) > “It used to be said that Pluto is a misfit. But now we know Earth is the misfit. This is the most populous class of planet in our solar system and we have never sent a mission to this class.” [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights that Earth, unlike the previously labeled 'misfit' Pluto, is actually the oddball among planets because it belongs to the most common planetary class—rocky, terrestrial worlds—yet humanity has never explored this class directly with a dedicated mission. **In simple terms:** Earth is the overlooked common planet type. Key Takeaway We ignore the most typical planetary class. Themes planetary classification exploration bias Earth's uniqueness space mission priorities Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type observation challenge When to use this quote - educational curricula - public outreach - policy discussions Key Concepts planetary science mission planning Practical Applications - curriculum development - policy briefings Questions to Reflect On - Why have we focused on exotic worlds over Earth-like ones? - What would a mission to a typical rocky planet reveal? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Class Planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class-planet-447988/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Earth Misfit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth-misfit-447987/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Misfit Populous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misfit-populous-447990/) [Misfits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misfits/) [Missions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missions/) [Planets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planets/) [Pluto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pluto/) [Pluto Misfit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pluto-misfit-447986/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Said Pluto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-pluto-447989/) [Solar system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solar-system/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Used to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used-to-be/) ## Related quotes > [Of course Pluto is a planet: It's massive enough to have its shape controlled by gravity rather than material strength, which is the hallmark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/of-course-pluto-is-a-planet-it-s-massive-enough-to-have-its-shape/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [We were very surprised to find out that Pluto is still geologically alive. It has upended our ideas of how planetary geophysics works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/we-were-very-surprised-to-find-out-that-pluto-is-still-geologically/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [Just because Pluto orbits with many other dwarf planets doesn't change what it is, just as whether an object is a mountain or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/just-because-pluto-orbits-with-many-other-dwarf-planets-doesn-t/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [If the Pluto mission was a cat, then it would've been dead long ago because they only get nine lives, and we've had significantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/if-the-pluto-mission-was-a-cat-then-it-would-ve-been-dead-long-ago/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [We're just learning that a lot of planets are small planets, and we didn't know that before, fact is, in planetary science, objects such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/we-re-just-learning-that-a-lot-of-planets-are-small-planets-and-we/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [When I started working with NASA in 1989 as part of a mission to send spacecraft to Pluto, I knew it would take at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/when-i-started-working-with-nasa-in-1989-as-part-of-a-mission-to-send/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [Pluto and its brethren are the most populous class of planets in our solar system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/pluto-and-its-brethren-are-the-most-populous-class-of-planets-in-our/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [You could not have predicted the amazing discoveries at Pluto, even though we have been to a couple of objects in the solar system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/you-could-not-have-predicted-the-amazing-discoveries-at-pluto-even/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [By going to Pluto, we have a chance to anchor, with real data, models of the early evolution of Earth's atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/by-going-to-pluto-we-have-a-chance-to-anchor-with-real-data-models-of/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [I can't imagine how many kids around the world will look at pictures of Pluto and think, 'I want to grow up to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/i-can-t-imagine-how-many-kids-around-the-world-will-look-at-pictures/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [If you go to planetary science meetings and hear technical talks on Pluto, you will hear experts calling it a planet every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/if-you-go-to-planetary-science-meetings-and-hear-technical-talks-on/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [Pluto has strong atmospheric cycles: it snows on the surface; the snows sublimate and go back into the atmosphere each 248 year orbit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/pluto-has-strong-atmospheric-cycles-it-snows-on-the-surface-the-snows/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [If two billion people wanted to watch a robot fly by Pluto, imagine what it will be like when the first humans step on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/if-two-billion-people-wanted-to-watch-a-robot-fly-by-pluto-imagine/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [Pluto is still active four and a half billion years into its history. It was expected that small planets like Pluto would cool off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/pluto-is-still-active-four-and-a-half-billion-years-into-its-history/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [We really just didn't realize the diversity of planetary types in our solar system. Pluto looked like a misfit because it was the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/we-really-just-didn-t-realize-the-diversity-of-planetary-types-in-our/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) ## More by Alan Stern > [Competition-driven innovation and price pressure that commercial practices foster can only make human spaceflight ever more common and U.S. leadership in this domain ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/competition-driven-innovation-and-price-pressure-that-commercial/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [Of course Pluto is a planet: It's massive enough to have its shape controlled by gravity rather than material strength, which is the hallmark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/of-course-pluto-is-a-planet-it-s-massive-enough-to-have-its-shape/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [The Kuiper belt region, which I call the third zone because it lies beyond the rocky terrestrial planets and beyond the giant planets, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/the-kuiper-belt-region-which-i-call-the-third-zone-because-it-lies/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [I think if you were between maybe 6 and 16, there was nothing like Apollo, and I wonder if there can be something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/i-think-if-you-were-between-maybe-6-and-16-there-was-nothing-like/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [If you put Earth out beyond Neptune, you wouldn't be able to call it a planet because it couldn't clear its zone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/if-you-put-earth-out-beyond-neptune-you-wouldn-t-be-able-to-call-it-a/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [Why would you listen to an astronomer about a planet?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/why-would-you-listen-to-an-astronomer-about-a-planet/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [When we first sent missions to Jupiter, no one expected to find moons that would have active volcanoes. And I could go down a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/when-we-first-sent-missions-to-jupiter-no-one-expected-to-find-moons/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [Pluto is still active four and a half billion years into its history. It was expected that small planets like Pluto would cool off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/pluto-is-still-active-four-and-a-half-billion-years-into-its-history/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [The Kuiper Belt is the largest mapped structure in our planetary system, three times as big as all the territory from the sun out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/the-kuiper-belt-is-the-largest-mapped-structure-in-our-planetary/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [If two billion people wanted to watch a robot fly by Pluto, imagine what it will be like when the first humans step on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/if-two-billion-people-wanted-to-watch-a-robot-fly-by-pluto-imagine/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [To keep everyone invested in your vision, you have to back up a little bit and really analyze who the different stakeholders are and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/to-keep-everyone-invested-in-your-vision-you-have-to-back-up-a-little/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [We're going to find Marses and maybe Earths out in the solar system's attic of the Oort Cloud and the Kuiper Belt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/we-re-going-to-find-marses-and-maybe-earths-out-in-the-solar-system-s/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [One of the implications of the discovery of the Kuiper Belt and its many small planets is that many scientists now think of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/one-of-the-implications-of-the-discovery-of-the-kuiper-belt-and-its/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [CASIS has to succeed because for it not to succeed would be a huge setback for the International Space Station program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/casis-has-to-succeed-because-for-it-not-to-succeed-would-be-a-huge/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [America's space program has been the envy and inspiration of the world. It has made landmark scientific discoveries that are a lasting legacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/america-s-space-program-has-been-the-envy-and-inspiration-of-the/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) [Explore all 102 Alan Stern quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) ## More Class quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [I grew up in the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-grew-up-in-the-middle-class/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“Poor people do not go on holiday; they go home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/poor-people-do-not-go-on-holiday-they-go-home/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Right now, for many Americans, class is being foregrounded like never before because of the economic situation. It doesn't mean that race doesn't matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/right-now-for-many-americans-class-is-being-foregrounded-like-never/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [But I don't think the Democratic Party is at eye level with the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-don-t-think-the-democratic-party-is-at-eye-level-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not a dancer. Never took a dance class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrishell-stause/i-m-not-a-dancer-never-took-a-dance-class/) [Chrishell Stause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrishell-stause/) > [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) > [We are not going back to the failed policies of the past. We are fighting for the middle class!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/we-are-not-going-back-to-the-failed-policies-of-the-past-we-are/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) [Browse all 7,637 Class quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It used to be said that Pluto is a misfit. But now we know Earth is the misfit. This is the most populous class of planet in our solar system and we have never sent a mission to this class.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Stern" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/it-used-to-be-said-that-pluto-is-a-misfit-but-now-we-know-earth-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Class" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/it-used-to-be-said-that-pluto-is-a-misfit-but-now-we-know-earth-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/alan-stern-5283_class_it-used-to-be-said-that-pluto-is-a-misfi_38290.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/alan-stern-5283_class_it-used-to-be-said-that-pluto-is-a-misfi_38290.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/alan-stern-5283_class_it-used-to-be-said-that-pluto-is-a-misfi_38290.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It used to be said that Pluto is a misfit. But now we know Earth is the misfit. This is the most populous…” — Alan Stern", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Stern", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It used to be said that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/it-used-to-be-said-that-pluto-is-a-misfit-but-now-we-know-earth-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/it-used-to-be-said-that-pluto-is-a-misfit-but-now-we-know-earth-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```