What is Pluto's status?

Answer 1

Pluto has gone from being called a planet to being called a dwarf planet. That is the only change. Charon is much smaller than Pluto, they are tidally locked to each other always facing each other, and the barycenter is outside of Pluto, but it is not likely to have a name change in the near future as there are not enough people who insist that Charon is a co-planet, the binary Dwarf planet Pluto-Charon. For now it stays as Pluto the dwarf planet.

The reason for the change in status is because of the change in the definition of a planet.

A "planet" is a celestial body that:

(a) is in orbit around the Sun,

(b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and

(c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.

A "dwarf planet" is a celestial body that:

(a) is in orbit around the Sun,

(b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape,

(c) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and

(d) is not a satellite.

Answer 2

Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). It was demoted from its former status as the ninth planet in our solar system in 2006, due to the redefinition of what constitutes a planet.