pluto - Is Pluto a planet? Does it qualify? For an object to be a planet, it needs to meet these three requirements defined by the IAU: * It needs to be in orbit around the Sun - Yes, so maybe Pluto is a planet. * It needs to have enough gravity to pull itself into a spherical shape - Pluto…check * It needs to have 'cleared the neighborhood' of its orbit - Uh oh. Here's the rule breaker. According to this, Pluto is not a planet.