{"podcast":{"title":"Why Though? with Dr. Matt Agnew","slug":"why-though-with-dr-matt-agnew-7777450","podcast_index_feed_id":7777450,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/69be1b0c3bbfcfe8dba05019","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/why-though-with-dr-matt-agnew","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/cover/1774065121689-4e0094d7-a958-4003-969a-368bfd3dc9fd.jpeg","author":"MIK and Dr Matt Agnew","episode_count":12,"summary":"Hosted by scientist Dr Matt Agnew, Why Though? is Australia's new science podcast for curious kids aged 8–12. Every episode starts with one question kids actually ask... and ends with a science adventure. Real answers, weird facts, and the kind of stuff that makes you look at the world differently on the walk home from school. Perfect for car trips, classrooms, and kids who can't stop asking why. Why Though? The show for little scientists who love asking big questions. Follow or subscribe now so you don't miss Episode One. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-12T18:20:02.657954+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/why-though-with-dr-matt-agnew-7777450"},"episode":{"title":"Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet?","slug":"why-is-pluto-no-longer-a-planet","published_at":"2026-05-16T20:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/why-though-with-dr-matt-agnew-7777450/why-is-pluto-no-longer-a-planet","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/why-though-with-dr-matt-agnew-7777450","url":"https://shows.acast.com/why-though-with-dr-matt-agnew/episodes/why-is-pluto-no-longer-a-planet","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/69be1b0c3bbfcfe8dba05019/e/6a06d18dcc4f860b9a508f7f/media.mp3","summary":"Pluto used to be the ninth planet in our Solar System. Then in 2006 everything changed. Dr Matt Agnew explains why... and it's a better story than you think. In this episode of Why Though?, we travel back to 1930 when astronomer Clyde Tombaugh spotted a tiny moving dot in the night sky and made one of the biggest discoveries in space history. We find out what happened when scientists discovered Eris... a Pluto-like world that was even heavier than Pluto. And we learn the three-rule checklist that decides what actually counts as a planet. Of course Matt's dog Pluto makes a cameo. What you'll learn: - Pluto was discovered in 1930 and taught as the ninth planet for over 70 years - Better telescopes revealed a whole region of icy worlds beyond Neptune called the Kuiper Belt - Scientists found Eris... similar to Pluto but even heavier, which forced a big question - To be a planet, a world must orbit the Sun, be round, and clear its neighbourhood - Pluto does two out of three... but it hasn't cleared its neighbourhood - Pluto became a dwarf planet in 2006... and it's still completely incredible Key Science Ideas: - Kuiper Belt: A region beyond Neptune full of icy objects - Planet definition: The three-rule checklist astronomers use to classify worlds - Clear its neighbourhood: Being the gravitational boss of your part of space - Dwarf planet: Orbits the Sun, is round, but hasn't cleared its neighbourhood - Scientific change: Science updates its ideas when new evidence appears Fun Experiment: The Planet Checklist Challenge Scientists use a three-rule checklist to decide what counts as a planet. Now it's your turn to be the astronomer. Grab five objects from around the house... a footy, a mandarin, a marble, a 50 cent coin, and a tin of baked beans. These are your space object…","meta_description":"Pluto used to be the ninth planet in our Solar System. Then in 2006 everything changed. Dr Matt Agnew explains why... and it's a better story than you thi…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":264,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/why-though-with-dr-matt-agnew-7777450/episodes/why-is-pluto-no-longer-a-planet/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/why-though-with-dr-matt-agnew-7777450/why-is-pluto-no-longer-a-planet.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}