Paul Byrne

Paul Byrne is an associate professor of Earth and Planetary Science at Washington University in St Louis. His research focuses on what makes planets in and outside our Solar System behave and look the way they do. He uses remotely sensed data, fieldwork here on Earth and numerical and physical models to build our understanding of alien worlds as well as our own.

Pluto should be our ninth planet. A planetary scientist explains why

Astronomers believe they’re closing in on the so-called Planet Nine, but planetary scientist Paul Byrne argues our official definition of what is and isn’t a planet is in need of a long-overdue shake up.