Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) has signed legislation designating Pluto as the state planet for Arizona.
Hobbs’s office announced on Friday she had signed House Bill 2477 into law on Friday, along with more than 40 other pieces of legislation.
The bill, which simply adds “Pluto is the official state planet” into state code, passed unanimously, 52-0, in the state House in February and passed overwhelmingly, 24-7, in the state Senate earlier this month.
Pluto was discovered in 1930 by scientist Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, and was considered the ninth planet in the solar system for most of the 20th century. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet, bringing the number of planets in the solar system back to eight.
Since Pluto was stripped of its planet title, fans of the now-dwarf planet have protested the decision and insisted it is a planet alongside the likes of Neptune and Mars. Republican state-Rep. Justin Wilmeth, who introduced the bill, said the designation of Pluto as the official planet is meant to commemorate its discovery in the Grand Canyon State.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“That’s a major astronomical achievement and it happened here in Arizona,” Wilmeth said, according to AZ Family. “That’s something for every single citizen of this state to be proud of and it’s why I decided to sponsor the bill.”
The other state symbols for Arizona include the white blossom of the saguaro as the state flower, the Colt Single Action Revolver as the state firearm, and lemonade as the state drink.
