Pluto - Wikipedia

10/8/2020 Pluto - Wikipedia
Pluto
Pluto (minor planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a
dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the Pluto
orbit of Neptune. It was the first and the largest Kuiper belt
object to be discovered.
Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930 and

declared to be the ninth planet from the Sun. After 1992, its
status as a planet was questioned following the discovery of
several objects of similar size in the Kuiper belt. In 2005,
Eris, a dwarf planet in the scattered disc which is 27% more
massive than Pluto, was discovered. This led the
International Astronomical Union (IAU) to define the term
"planet" formally in 2006, during their 26th General
Assembly. That definition excluded Pluto and reclassified it
as a dwarf planet. Northern hemisphere of Pluto in true color,
taken by NASA's New Horizons probe in
Pluto is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known 2015[a]
object directly orbiting the Sun. It is the largest known
trans-Neptunian object by volume but is less massive than Discovery
Eris. Like other Kuiper belt objects, Pluto is primarily made Discovered by Clyde W. Tombaugh
of ice and rock and is relatively small—one-sixth the mass
Discovery site Lowell Observatory
of the Moon and one-third its volume. It has a moderately
eccentric and inclined orbit during which it ranges from 30 Discovery date February 18, 1930
to 49 astronomical units or AU (4.4–7.4 billion km) from Designations
the Sun. This means that Pluto periodically comes closer to
Designation (134340) Pluto
the Sun than Neptune, but a stable orbital resonance with
Neptune prevents them from colliding. Light from the Sun Pronunciation /ˈpluːtoʊ/ ( listen)
takes 5.5 hours to reach Pluto at its average distance Named after Pluto
(39.5 AU).
Minor planet Dwarf planet
Pluto has five known moons: Charon (the largest, with a category
Trans-Neptunian object
diameter just over half that of Pluto), Styx, Nix, Kerberos,
Plutoid
and Hydra. Pluto and Charon are sometimes considered a
binary system because the barycenter of their orbits does Kuiper belt object
not lie within either body. Plutino
The New Horizons spacecraft performed a flyby of Pluto on Adjectives Plutonian /pluːˈtoʊniən/[1]
July 14, 2015, becoming the first and, to date, only Orbital characteristics[4][b]
spacecraft to do so. During its brief flyby, New Horizons
Epoch J2000
made detailed measurements and observations of Pluto and
its moons. In September 2016, astronomers announced Earliest August 20, 1909
that the reddish-brown cap of the north pole of Charon is precovery date
composed of tholins, organic macromolecules that may be Aphelion 49.305 AU
ingredients for the emergence of life, and produced from
(7.37593 billion km)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto 1/34
methane, nitrogen and other gases released from the February 2114
atmosphere of Pluto and transferred 19,000 km
Perihelion 29.658 AU
(12,000 mi) to the orbiting moon.
(4.43682 billion km)[2]
(September 5, 1989)[3]
Contents Semi-major axis 39.482 AU
History (5.90638 billion km)

Discovery Eccentricity 0.2488
Name
Orbital period 247.94 years[2]
Planet X disproved
90,560 d[2]
Classification
IAU classification Synodic period 366.73 days[2]
Orbit Average orbital 4.743 km/s[2]

speed
Relationship with Neptune
Other factors Mean anomaly 14.53 deg
Quasi-satellite Inclination 17.16°
Rotation (11.88° to Sun's equator)
Geology Longitude of 110.299°
Surface ascending node
Internal structure Argument of 113.834°
perihelion
Mass and size
Known 5
Atmosphere satellites
Satellites Physical characteristics
Origin Dimensions 2,376.6 ± 1.6 km
Observation and exploration (observations consistent
Observation with a sphere, predicted
Exploration deviations too small to be
Sub-Charon hemisphere observed)[5]
Southern hemisphere Mean radius 1,188.3 ± 0.8 km[6][5]
Videos
0.1868 Earths
See also
Flattening <1%[7]
Notes
Surface area 1.779 × 107 km2[c]
References
0.035 Earths
Further reading
Volume (7.057 ± 0.004) × 109 km3[d]
External links
0.006 51 Earths
Mass (1.303 ± 0.003) × 1022 kg[7]
History 0.00218 Earths
0.177 Moons
Discovery Mean density 1.854 ± 0.006 g/cm3[6][7]
Surface gravity 0.620 m/s2[e]
In the 1840s, Urbain Le 0.063 g

Verrier used
Newtonian mechanics Escape velocity 1.212 km/s[f]
to predict the position Sidereal 6.387 230 d
of the then- rotation period
6 d, 9 h, 17 m, 36 s
undiscovered planet
Neptune after Equatorial 47.18 km/h
analyzing perturbations rotation velocity
Discovery photographs of Pluto in the orbit of Axial tilt 122.53° (to orbit)[2]
Uranus. [14] Subsequent North pole 132.993°[8]
observations of right ascension
Neptune in the late 19th
North pole −6.163°[8]
century led astronomers to declination
speculate that Uranus's orbit
was being disturbed by Albedo 0.49 to 0.66 (geometric,
another planet besides varies by 35%)[2][9]
Neptune. Surface temp. min mean max
Kelvin 33 K 44 K (−229 °C) 55 K
In 1906, Percival Lowell—a Apparent
13.65[2] to 16.3[10]
wealthy Bostonian who had magnitude
(mean is 15.1)[2]
founded Lowell Observatory in
Flagstaff, Arizona, in 1894— Absolute −0.7[11]
started an extensive project in magnitude (H)
Clyde Tombaugh, in Kansas search of a possible ninth Angular 0.06″ to 0.11″[2][g]
planet, which he termed diameter
"Planet X".[15] By 1909, Lowell Atmosphere
and William H. Pickering had suggested several possible
Surface 1.0 Pa (2015)[7][13]
celestial coordinates for such a planet.[16] Lowell and his pressure
observatory conducted his search until his death in 1916,
but to no avail. Unknown to Lowell, his surveys had Composition by Nitrogen, methane, carbon
captured two faint images of Pluto on March 19 and April 7, volume monoxide[12]
1915, but they were not recognized for what they
were.[16][17] There are fourteen other known precovery observations, with the earliest made by the
Yerkes Observatory on August 20, 1909.[18]
Percival's widow, Constance Lowell, entered into a ten-year legal battle with the Lowell Observatory over
her husband's legacy, and the search for Planet X did not resume until 1929.[19] Vesto Melvin Slipher,
the observatory director, gave the job of locating Planet X to 23-year-old Clyde Tombaugh, who had just
arrived at the observatory after Slipher had been impressed by a sample of his astronomical drawings.[19]
Tombaugh's task was to systematically image the night sky in pairs of photographs, then examine each
pair and determine whether any objects had shifted position. Using a blink comparator, he rapidly
shifted back and forth between views of each of the plates to create the illusion of movement of any
objects that had changed position or appearance between photographs. On February 18, 1930, after
nearly a year of searching, Tombaugh discovered a possible moving object on photographic plates taken
on January 23 and 29. A lesser-quality photograph taken on January 21 helped confirm the
movement.[20] After the observatory obtained further confirmatory photographs, news of the discovery
was telegraphed to the Harvard College Observatory on March 13, 1930.[16] Pluto has yet to complete a
full orbit of the Sun since its discovery, as one Plutonian year is 247.68 years long.[21]
Name
The discovery made headlines around the globe.[22] Lowell

Observatory, which had the right to name the new object, received
more than 1,000 suggestions from all over the world, ranging from
Atlas to Zymal.[23] Tombaugh urged Slipher to suggest a name for
the new object quickly before someone else did.[23] Constance
Lowell proposed Zeus, then Percival and finally Constance. These
suggestions were disregarded.[24]
The name Pluto, after the Roman god of the underworld, was
proposed by Venetia Burney (1918–2009), an eleven-year-old
schoolgirl in Oxford, England, who was interested in classical Mosaic of best-resolution images of
mythology.[25] She suggested it in a conversation with her Pluto from different angles
grandfather Falconer Madan, a former librarian at the University of
Oxford's Bodleian Library, who passed the name to astronomy
professor Herbert Hall Turner, who cabled it to colleagues in the United States.[25]
Each member of the Lowell Observatory was allowed to vote on a short-list of three potential names:
Minerva (which was already the name for an asteroid), Cronus (which had lost reputation through being
proposed by the unpopular astronomer Thomas Jefferson Jackson See), and Pluto. Pluto received a
unanimous vote.[26] The name was announced on May 1, 1930.[25][27] Upon the announcement, Madan
gave Venetia £5 (equivalent to 300 GBP, or 450 USD in 2014)[28] as a reward.[25]
The final choice of name was helped in part by the fact that the first two letters of Pluto are the initials of
Percival Lowell. Pluto's astronomical symbol ( , Unicode U+2647, ♇) was then created as a monogram
constructed from the letters "PL".[29] Pluto's astrological symbol resembles that of Neptune ( ), but has
a circle in place of the middle prong of the trident ( ).
The name was soon embraced by wider culture. In 1930, Walt Disney was apparently inspired by it when
he introduced for Mickey Mouse a canine companion named Pluto, although Disney animator Ben
Sharpsteen could not confirm why the name was given.[30] In 1941, Glenn T. Seaborg named the newly
created element plutonium after Pluto, in keeping with the tradition of naming elements after newly
discovered planets, following uranium, which was named after Uranus, and neptunium, which was
named after Neptune.[31]
Most languages use the name "Pluto" in various transliterations.[h] In Japanese, Houei Nojiri suggested
the translation Meiōsei (冥王星, "Star of the King (God) of the Underworld"), and this was borrowed into
Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese (which instead uses "Sao Diêm Vương", which was derived from the
Chinese term 閻王 (Yánwáng), as "minh" is a homophone for the Sino-Vietnamese words for "dark" (冥)
and "bright" (明)).[32][33][34] Some Indian languages use the name Pluto, but others, such as Hindi, use
the name of Yama, the God of Death in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.[33] Polynesian languages also
tend to use the indigenous god of the underworld, as in Māori Whiro.[33]
Planet X disproved
Once Pluto was found, its faintness and lack of a resolvable disc cast doubt on the idea that it was
Lowell's Planet X.[15] Estimates of Pluto's mass were revised downward throughout the 20th century.[35]
Astronomers initially calculated its mass

based on its presumed effect on Neptune Mass estimates for Pluto
and Uranus. In 1931, Pluto was calculated Year Mass Estimate by
to be roughly the mass of Earth, with
Lowell (prediction for Planet X)[15]
further calculations in 1948 bringing the 1915 7 Earth
mass down to roughly that of Mars.[37][39] 1931 1 Earth Nicholson & Mayall[36][37][38]
In 1976, Dale Cruikshank, Carl Pilcher and
1948 0.1 (1/10) Earth Kuiper[39]
David Morrison of the University of Hawaii
calculated Pluto's albedo for the first time, 1976 0.01 (1/100) Earth Cruikshank, Pilcher, & Morrison[40]
finding that it matched that for methane 1978 0.0015 (1/650) Earth
Christy & Harrington[41]
ice; this meant Pluto had to be
exceptionally luminous for its size and 2006 0.00218 (1/459) Earth Buie et al.[42]
therefore could not be more than 1 percent
the mass of Earth.[40] (Pluto's albedo is 1.4–1.9 times that of Earth.[2])
In 1978, the discovery of Pluto's moon Charon allowed the measurement of Pluto's mass for the first
time: roughly 0.2% that of Earth, and far too small to account for the discrepancies in the orbit of
Uranus. Subsequent searches for an alternative Planet X, notably by Robert Sutton Harrington,[43]
failed. In 1992, Myles Standish used data from Voyager 2's flyby of Neptune in 1989, which had revised
the estimates of Neptune's mass downward by 0.5%—an amount comparable to the mass of Mars—to
recalculate its gravitational effect on Uranus. With the new figures added in, the discrepancies, and with
them the need for a Planet X, vanished.[44] Today, the majority of scientists agree that Planet X, as
Lowell defined it, does not exist.[45] Lowell had made a prediction of Planet X's orbit and position in 1915
that was fairly close to Pluto's actual orbit and its position at that time; Ernest W. Brown concluded soon
after Pluto's discovery that this was a coincidence.[46]
Classification
There are two primary definitions of 'planet'.

Disregarding the often inconsistent technical details,
they are whether a body acts like a planet (e.g. its orbit
and relationship to other bodies) or whether it looks
like a planet (e.g whether it has planetary geology).
Pluto meets the second definition but not the first.
From 1992 onward, many bodies were discovered

orbiting in the same volume as Pluto, showing that
Pluto is part of a population of objects called the Kuiper
belt. This made its official status as a planet
controversial, with many questioning whether Pluto
should be considered together with or separately from Artistic comparison of Pluto, Eris, Haumea,
its surrounding population. Museum and planetarium Makemake, Gonggong, Quaoar, Sedna, Orcus,
directors occasionally created controversy by omitting Salacia, 2002 MS4, and Earth along with the Moon
Pluto from planetary models of the Solar System. In
February 2000 the Hayden Planetarium in New York
City displayed a Solar System model of only eight planets, which made headlines almost a year later.[47]
Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta lost their planet status after the discovery of many other asteroids.
Similarly, objects increasingly closer in size to Pluto were discovered in the Kuiper belt region. On July
29, 2005, astronomers at Caltech announced the discovery of a new trans-Neptunian object, Eris, which
was substantially more massive than Pluto and the most massive object discovered in the Solar System
since Triton in 1846. Its discoverers and the press initially called it the tenth planet, although there was
no official consensus at the time on whether to call it a planet.[48] Others in the astronomical community
considered the discovery the strongest argument for reclassifying Pluto as a minor planet.[49]
IAU classification
The debate came to a head in August 2006, with an IAU resolution that created an official definition for
the term "planet". According to this resolution, there are three conditions for an object in the Solar
System to be considered a planet:
1. The object must be in orbit around the Sun.

2. The object must be massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity. More specifically, its own
gravity should pull it into a shape defined by hydrostatic equilibrium.
3. It must have cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.[50][51]
Pluto fails to meet the third condition.[52] Its mass is substantially less than the combined mass of the
other objects in its orbit: 0.07 times, in contrast to Earth, which is 1.7 million times the remaining mass
in its orbit (excluding the moon).[53][51] The IAU further decided that bodies that, like Pluto, meet
criteria 1 and 2, but do not meet criterion 3 would be called dwarf planets. In September 2006, the IAU
included Pluto, and Eris and its moon Dysnomia, in their Minor Planet Catalogue, giving them the
official minor planet designations "(134340) Pluto", "(136199) Eris", and "(136199) Eris I Dysnomia".[54]
Had Pluto been included upon its discovery in 1930, it would have likely been designated 1164, following
1163 Saga, which was discovered a month earlier.[55]
There has been some resistance within the astronomical community toward the
reclassification.[56][57][58] Alan Stern, principal investigator with NASA's New Horizons mission to
Pluto, derided the IAU resolution, stating that "the definition stinks, for technical reasons".[59] Stern
contended that, by the terms of the new definition, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune, all of which share
their orbits with asteroids, would be excluded.[60] He argued that all big spherical moons, including the
Moon, should likewise be considered planets.[61] He also stated that because less than five percent of
astronomers voted for it, the decision was not representative of the entire astronomical community.[60]
Marc W. Buie, then at the Lowell Observatory, petitioned against the definition.[62] Others have
supported the IAU. Mike Brown, the astronomer who discovered Eris, said "through this whole crazy,
circus-like procedure, somehow the right answer was stumbled on. It's been a long time coming. Science
is self-correcting eventually, even when strong emotions are involved."[63]
Public reception to the IAU decision was mixed. A resolution introduced in the California State Assembly
facetiously called the IAU decision a "scientific heresy".[64] The New Mexico House of Representatives
passed a resolution in honor of Tombaugh, a longtime resident of that state, that declared that Pluto will
always be considered a planet while in New Mexican skies and that March 13, 2007, was Pluto Planet
Day.[65][66] The Illinois Senate passed a similar resolution in 2009, on the basis that Clyde Tombaugh,
the discoverer of Pluto, was born in Illinois. The resolution asserted that Pluto was "unfairly downgraded
to a 'dwarf' planet" by the IAU."[67] Some members of the public have also rejected the change, citing the
disagreement within the scientific community on the issue, or for sentimental reasons, maintaining that
they have always known Pluto as a planet and will continue to do so regardless of the IAU decision.[68]
In 2006, in its 17th annual words-of-the-year vote, the American Dialect Society voted plutoed as the
word of the year. To "pluto" is to "demote or devalue someone or something".[69]
Researchers on both sides of the debate gathered in August 2008, at the Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory for a conference that included back-to-back talks on the current IAU
definition of a planet.[70] Entitled "The Great Planet Debate",[71] the conference published a post-
conference press release indicating that scientists could not come to a consensus about the definition of
planet.[72] In June 2008, the IAU had announced in a press release that the term "plutoid" would
henceforth be used to refer to Pluto and other planetary-mass objects that have an orbital semi-major
axis greater than that of Neptune, though the term has not seen significant use.[73][74][75]
Orbit
Pluto was discovered in 1930 near the star δ Geminorum, and merely coincidentally crossing the ecliptic at this time of
discovery. Pluto moves about 7 degrees east per decade with small apparent retrograde motion as seen from Earth. Pluto
was closer to the Sun than Neptune between 1979 and 1999.
Pluto's orbital period is currently about 248 years. Its orbital

characteristics are substantially different from those of the planets,
which follow nearly circular orbits around the Sun close to a flat
reference plane called the ecliptic. In contrast, Pluto's orbit is
moderately inclined relative to the ecliptic (over 17°) and
moderately eccentric (elliptical). This eccentricity means a small
region of Pluto's orbit lies closer to the Sun than Neptune's. The
Pluto–Charon barycenter came to perihelion on September 5,
1989,[3][i] and was last closer to the Sun than Neptune between
February 7, 1979, and February 11, 1999.[76] Animation of Pluto's orbit from 1900
to 2100
In the long term, Pluto's orbit is chaotic. Computer simulations can Sun · Saturn · Uranus ·
be used to predict its position for several million years (both Neptune · Pluto
forward and backward in time), but after intervals longer than the
Lyapunov time of 10–20 million years, calculations become
speculative: Pluto is sensitive to immeasurably small details of the Solar System, hard-to-predict factors
that will gradually change Pluto's position in its orbit.[77][78]
The semi-major axis of Pluto's orbit varies between about 39.3 and 39.6 au with a period of about 19,951
years, corresponding to an orbital period varying between 246 and 249 years. The semi-major axis and
period are presently getting longer.[79]
Relationship with Neptune
Despite Pluto's orbit appearing to cross that of Neptune when viewed from directly above, the two
objects' orbits are aligned so that they can never collide or even approach closely.
The two orbits do not intersect. When Pluto is closest to the Sun, and hence closest to Neptune's orbit as
viewed from above, it is also the farthest above Neptune's path. Pluto's orbit passes about 8 AU above
that of Neptune, preventing a collision.[80][81][82]
This alone is not enough to protect Pluto; perturbations from the

planets (especially Neptune) could alter Pluto's orbit (such as its
orbital precession) over millions of years so that a collision could be
possible. However, Pluto is also protected by its 2:3 orbital
resonance with Neptune: for every two orbits that Pluto makes
around the Sun, Neptune makes three. Each cycle lasts about 495
years. This pattern is such that, in each 495-year cycle, the first
time Pluto is near perihelion, Neptune is over 50° behind Pluto. By
Pluto's second perihelion, Neptune will have completed a further
one and a half of its own orbits, and so will be nearly 130° ahead of
Pluto. Pluto and Neptune's minimum separation is over 17 AU,
which is greater than Pluto's minimum separation from Uranus
(11 AU).[82] The minimum separation between Pluto and Neptune
Orbit of Pluto – ecliptic view. This
actually occurs near the time of Pluto's aphelion.[79] "side view" of Pluto's orbit (in red)
shows its large inclination to the
The 2:3 resonance between the two bodies is highly stable and has ecliptic.
been preserved over millions of years.[83] This prevents their orbits
from changing relative to one another, and so the two bodies can
never pass near each other. Even if Pluto's orbit were not inclined,
the two bodies could never collide.[82] The long term stability of the
mean-motion resonance is due to phase protection. If Pluto's
period is slightly shorter than 3/2 of Neptune, its orbit relative to
Neptune will drift, causing it to make closer approaches behind
Neptune's orbit. The strong gravitational pull between the two
causes angular momentum to be transferred to Pluto, at Neptune's
expense. This moves Pluto into a slightly larger orbit, where it
travels slightly more slowly, according to Kepler's third law. After
many such repetitions, Pluto is sufficiently slowed, and Neptune
sufficiently sped up, that Pluto's orbit relative to Neptune drifts in
the opposite direction until the process is reversed. The whole
process takes about 20,000 years to complete.[82][83][84]
Other factors
Numerical studies have shown that over millions of years, the

general nature of the alignment between the orbits of Pluto and
Neptune does not change.[80][79] There are several other Orbit of Pluto – polar view. This "view
resonances and interactions that enhance Pluto's stability. These from above" shows how Pluto's orbit
arise principally from two additional mechanisms (besides the 2:3 (in red) is less circular than
mean-motion resonance). Neptune's (in blue), and how Pluto is
sometimes closer to the Sun than
First, Pluto's argument of perihelion, the angle between the point Neptune. The darker sections of both
where it crosses the ecliptic and the point where it is closest to the orbits show where they pass below
Sun, librates around 90°.[79] This means that when Pluto is closest the plane of the ecliptic.
to the Sun, it is at its farthest above the plane of the Solar System,
preventing encounters with Neptune. This is a consequence of the
Kozai mechanism,[80] which relates the eccentricity of an orbit to
its inclination to a larger perturbing body—in this case Neptune.
Relative to Neptune, the amplitude of libration is 38°, and so the
angular separation of Pluto's perihelion to the orbit of Neptune is

always greater than 52° (90°–38°). The closest such angular
separation occurs every 10,000 years.[83]
Second, the longitudes of ascending nodes of the two bodies—the points where they cross the ecliptic—
are in near-resonance with the above libration. When the two longitudes are the same—that is, when one
could draw a straight line through both nodes and the Sun—Pluto's perihelion lies exactly at 90°, and
hence it comes closest to the Sun when it is highest above Neptune's orbit. This is known as the 1:1
superresonance. All the Jovian planets, particularly Jupiter, play a role in the creation of the
superresonance.[80]
Quasi-satellite
In 2012, it was hypothesized that 15810 Arawn could be a quasi-satellite of Pluto, a specific type of co-
orbital configuration.[85] According to the hypothesis, the object would be a quasi-satellite of Pluto for
about 350,000 years out of every two-million-year period.[85][86] Measurements made by the New
Horizons spacecraft in 2015 made it possible to calculate the orbit of Arawn more accurately.[87] These
calculations confirm the overall dynamics described in the hypothesis.[88] However, it is not agreed upon
among astronomers whether Arawn should be classified as a quasi-satellite of Pluto based on this
motion, since its orbit is primarily controlled by Neptune with only occasional smaller perturbations
caused by Pluto.[89][87][88]
Rotation
Pluto's rotation period, its day, is equal to 6.387 Earth days.[2][90] Like Uranus, Pluto rotates on its
"side" in its orbital plane, with an axial tilt of 120°, and so its seasonal variation is extreme; at its
solstices, one-fourth of its surface is in continuous daylight, whereas another fourth is in continuous
darkness.[91] The reason for this unusual orientation has been debated. Research from the University of
Arizona has suggested that it may be due to the way that a body's spin will always adjust to minimise
energy. This could mean a body reorienting itself to put extraneous mass near the equator and regions
lacking mass tend towards the poles. This is called polar wander.[92] According to a paper released from
the University of Arizona, this could be caused by masses of frozen nitrogen building up in shadowed
areas of the dwarf planet. These masses would cause the body to reorient itself, leading to its unusual
axial tilt of 120°. The buildup of nitrogen is due to Pluto's vast distance from the Sun. At the equator,
temperatures can drop to −240 °C (−400.0 °F; 33.1 K), causing nitrogen to freeze as water would freeze
on Earth. The same effect seen on Pluto would be observed on Earth were the Antarctic ice sheet several
times larger.[93]
Geology
Surface
The plains on Pluto's surface are composed of more than 98 percent nitrogen ice, with traces of methane
and carbon monoxide.[94] Nitrogen and carbon monoxide are most abundant on the anti-Charon face of
Pluto (around 180° longitude, where Tombaugh Regio's western lobe, Sputnik Planitia, is located),
whereas methane is most abundant near 300° east.[95] The mountains are made of water ice.[96] Pluto's
surface is quite varied, with large differences in both brightness and color.[97] Pluto is one of the most
contrastive bodies in the Solar System, with as much contrast as

Saturn's moon Iapetus.[98] The color varies from charcoal black, to
dark orange and white.[99] Pluto's color is more similar to that of Io
with slightly more orange and significantly less red than Mars.[100]
Notable geographical features include Tombaugh Regio, or the
"Heart" (a large bright area on the side opposite Charon), Cthulhu
Macula,[6] or the "Whale" (a large dark area on the trailing
hemisphere), and the "Brass Knuckles" (a series of equatorial dark
areas on the leading hemisphere).
Sputnik Planitia, the western lobe of the "Heart", is a 1,000 km-wide

basin of frozen nitrogen and carbon monoxide ices, divided into
polygonal cells, which are interpreted as convection cells that carry High-resolution MVIC image of Pluto
floating blocks of water ice crust and sublimation pits towards their in enhanced color to bring out
margins;[101][102][103] there are obvious signs of glacial flows both differences in surface composition
into and out of the basin.[104][105] It has no craters that were visible
to New Horizons, indicating that its surface is less than 10 million
years old.[106] Latest studies have shown that the surface has an age
+90 000
of 180 000 −40 000 years.[107] The New Horizons science team
summarized initial findings as "Pluto displays a surprisingly wide
variety of geological landforms, including those resulting from
glaciological and surface–atmosphere interactions as well as impact, Regions where water ice has been
tectonic, possible cryovolcanic, and mass-wasting processes."[7] detected (blue regions)
Distribution of over 1000 craters of all ages in the northern anti-

Charon quadrant of Pluto. The variation in density (with none found
in Sputnik Planitia) indicates a long history of varying geological
activity. The lack of crater on the left and right of the map is due to
low-resolution coverage of those sub-Charon regions.
Geologic map of Sputnik Planitia and surroundings Sputnik Planitia is covered with
(context), with convection cell margins outlined in black churning nitrogen ice "cells" that
are geologically young and
turning over due to convection.
In Western parts of Sputnik Planitia there are fields of transverse dunes formed by the winds blowing
from the center of Sputnik Planitia in the direction of surrounding mountains. The dune wavelengths are
in the range of 0.4–1 km and they are likely consists of methane particles 200–300 μm in size.[108]
Internal structure
Pluto's density is 1.860 ± 0.013 g/cm3.[7] Because the decay of radioactive elements would eventually
heat the ices enough for the rock to separate from them, scientists expect that Pluto's internal structure
is differentiated, with the rocky material having settled into a dense core surrounded by a mantle of
water ice. The pre–New Horizons estimate for the diameter of the core 1700 km, 70% of Pluto's
diameter.[109] It is possible that such heating continues today, creating a subsurface ocean of liquid
water 100 to 180 km thick at the core–mantle boundary.[109][110][111] In September 2016, scientists at
Brown University simulated the impact thought to have formed Sputnik Planitia, and showed that it
might have been the result of liquid water upwelling from below after the collision, implying the
existence of a subsurface ocean at least 100 km deep.[112] Pluto has no magnetic field.[113] In June 2020,
astronomers reported evidence that Pluto may have had a subsurface ocean, and consequently may have
been habitable, when it was first formed.[114][115]
Mass and size
Pre-New Horizons model of the

internal structure of Pluto[109]
Water ice crust

Liquid water ocean
Silicate core
Pluto's diameter is 2 376.6 ± 3.2 km[5] and

Pluto (bottom right) compared in size to the largest satellites in
the solar system (from left to right and top to bottom): Ganymede,
its mass is (1.303 ± 0.003) × 1022 kg, 17.7%
Titan, Callisto, Io, the Moon, Europa, and Triton that of the Moon (0.22% that of Earth).[123]
Its surface area is 1.779 × 107 km2, or
roughly the same surface area Selected size estimates for Pluto
as Russia. Its surface gravity is
Year Radius Notes
0.063 g (compared to 1 g for
Earth and 0.17 g for the 1993 1195 km Millis, et al.[116] (if no haze)[117]
Moon). 1993 1180 km Millis, et al. (surface & haze)[117]
The discovery of Pluto's 1994 1164 km Young & Binzel[118]

satellite Charon in 1978
2006 1153 km Buie, et al.[42]
enabled a determination of the
mass of the Pluto–Charon 2007 1161 km Young, Young, & Buie[119]
system by application of 2011 1180 km Zalucha, et al.[120]
Newton's formulation of
Kepler's third law. 2014 1184 km Lellouch, et al.[121]
Observations of Pluto in 2015 1187 km New Horizons measurement (from optical data)[122]
occultation with Charon
allowed scientists to establish 2017 1188.3 km New Horizons measurement (from radio occultation data)[5][6]
Pluto's diameter more accurately, whereas the invention of adaptive

optics allowed them to determine its shape more accurately.[124]
With less than 0.2 lunar masses, Pluto is much less massive than the
terrestrial planets, and also less massive than seven moons:
Ganymede, Titan, Callisto, Io, the Moon, Europa, and Triton. The
mass is much less than thought before Charon was discovered.
Pluto is more than twice the diameter and a dozen times the mass of
Size comparisons: Earth, the Moon, Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt. It is less massive than
and Pluto the dwarf planet Eris, a trans-Neptunian object discovered in 2005,
though Pluto has a larger diameter of 2376.6 km[5] compared to Eris's approximate diameter of
2326 km.[125]
Determinations of Pluto's size had been complicated by its atmosphere,[119] and hydrocarbon haze.[117]
In March 2014, Lellouch, de Bergh et al. published findings regarding methane mixing ratios in Pluto's
atmosphere consistent with a Plutonian diameter greater than 2360 km, with a "best guess" of
2368 km.[121] On July 13, 2015, images from NASA's New Horizons mission Long Range Reconnaissance
Imager (LORRI), along with data from the other instruments, determined Pluto's diameter to be
2,370 km (1,470 mi),[125][126] which was later revised to be 2,372 km (1,474 mi) on July 24,[122] and later
to 2374 ± 8 km.[7] Using radio occultation data from the New Horizons Radio Science Experiment
(REX), the diameter was found to be 2 376.6 ± 3.2 km.[5]
Atmosphere
Pluto has a tenuous atmosphere consisting of nitrogen (N2),
methane (CH4), and carbon monoxide (CO), which are in
equilibrium with their ices on Pluto's surface.[127][128]
According to the measurements by New Horizons, the
surface pressure is about 1 Pa (10 μbar),[7] roughly one
million to 100,000 times less than Earth's atmospheric
pressure. It was initially thought that, as Pluto moves away
from the Sun, its atmosphere should gradually freeze onto
the surface; studies of New Horizons data and ground- A near-true-color image taken by New
based occultations show that Pluto's atmospheric density Horizons after its flyby. Numerous layers of
increases, and that it likely remains gaseous throughout blue haze float in Pluto's atmosphere. Along
Pluto's orbit.[129][130] New Horizons observations showed and near the limb, mountains and their
that atmospheric escape of nitrogen to be 10,000 times less shadows are visible.
than expected.[130] Alan Stern has contended that even a
small increase in Pluto's surface temperature can lead to
exponential increases in Pluto's atmospheric density; from
18 hPa to as much as 280 hPa (three times that of Mars to a
quarter that of the Earth). At such densities, nitrogen could
flow across the surface as liquid.[130] Just like sweat cools
the body as it evaporates from the skin, the sublimation of
Pluto's atmosphere cools its surface.[131] The presence of
atmospheric gases was traced up to 1670 kilometers high;
the atmosphere does not have a sharp upper boundary.
The presence of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, in

Pluto's atmosphere creates a temperature inversion, with Image of Pluto in X-rays by Chandra X-ray
the average temperature of its atmosphere tens of degrees Observatory (blue spot). The X-rays are
warmer than its surface,[132] though observations by New probably created by interaction of the gases
Horizons have revealed Pluto's upper atmosphere to be far surrounding Pluto with solar wind, although
colder than expected (70 K, as opposed to about 100 K). [130]
details of their origin are not clear.
Pluto's atmosphere is divided into roughly 20 regularly
spaced haze layers up to 150 km high,[7] thought to be the
result of pressure waves created by airflow across Pluto's mountains.[130]
Satellites
Pluto has five known natural satellites. The closest to Pluto

is Charon. First identified in 1978 by astronomer James
Christy, Charon is the only moon of Pluto that may be in
hydrostatic equilibrium; Charon's mass is sufficient to cause
the barycenter of the Pluto–Charon system to be outside
Pluto. Beyond Charon there are four much smaller
circumbinary moons. In order of distance from Pluto they
are Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra. Nix and Hydra were
both discovered in 2005,[133] Kerberos was discovered in
2011,[134] and Styx was discovered in 2012.[135] The
satellites' orbits are circular (eccentricity < 0.006) and An oblique view of the Pluto–Charon system
coplanar with Pluto's equator (inclination < 1°),[136][137] and showing that Pluto orbits a point outside itself.
therefore tilted approximately 120° relative to Pluto's orbit. The two bodies are mutually tidally locked.
The Plutonian system is highly compact: the five known
satellites orbit within the inner 3% of the region where
prograde orbits would be stable.[138]
The orbital periods of all Pluto's moons are linked in a system of orbital resonances and near
resonances.[137][139] When precession is accounted for, the orbital periods of Styx, Nix, and Hydra are in
an exact 18:22:33 ratio.[137] There is a sequence of approximate ratios, 3:4:5:6, between the periods of
Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra with that of Charon; the ratios become closer to being exact the further
out the moons are.[137][140]
The Pluto–Charon system is one of the few in the Solar System whose barycenter lies outside the
primary body; the Patroclus–Menoetius system is a smaller example, and the Sun–Jupiter system is the
only larger one.[141] The similarity in size of Charon and Pluto has prompted some astronomers to call it
a double dwarf planet.[142] The system is also unusual among planetary systems in that each is tidally
locked to the other, which means that Pluto and Charon always have the same hemisphere facing each
other. From any position on either body, the other is always at the same position in the sky, or always
obscured.[143] This also means that the rotation period of each is equal to the time it takes the entire
system to rotate around its barycenter.[90]
In 2007, observations by the Gemini Observatory of patches of ammonia hydrates and water crystals on
the surface of Charon suggested the presence of active cryo-geysers.[144]
Pluto's moons are hypothesized to have been formed by a collision between Pluto and a similar-sized
body, early in the history of the Solar System. The collision released material that consolidated into the
moons around Pluto.[145]
1. The Pluto system: Pluto, Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope in July 2012.
2. Pluto and Charon, to scale. Image acquired by New Horizons on July 8, 2015. 3. Family portrait of the five moons of
Pluto, to scale.[146] 4. Pluto's moon Charon as viewed by New Horizons on July 13, 2015
Origin
Pluto's origin and identity had long puzzled astronomers. One early
hypothesis was that Pluto was an escaped moon of Neptune,[147]
knocked out of orbit by its largest current moon, Triton. This idea
was eventually rejected after dynamical studies showed it to be
impossible because Pluto never approaches Neptune in its orbit.[148]
Pluto's true place in the Solar System began to reveal itself only in
1992, when astronomers began to find small icy objects beyond
Neptune that were similar to Pluto not only in orbit but also in size
and composition. This trans-Neptunian population is thought to be
the source of many short-period comets. Pluto is now known to be
the largest member of the Kuiper belt,[j] a stable belt of objects
Plot of the known Kuiper belt
located between 30 and 50 AU from the Sun. As of 2011, surveys of
objects, set against the four giant
the Kuiper belt to magnitude 21 were nearly complete and any
planets
remaining Pluto-sized objects are expected to be beyond 100 AU
from the Sun.[149] Like other Kuiper-belt objects (KBOs), Pluto
shares features with comets; for example, the solar wind is gradually blowing Pluto's surface into
space.[150] It has been claimed that if Pluto were placed as near to the Sun as Earth, it would develop a
tail, as comets do.[151] This claim has been disputed with the argument that Pluto's escape velocity is too
high for this to happen.[152] It has been proposed that Pluto may have formed as a result of the
agglomeration of numerous comets and Kuiper-belt objects.[153][154]
Though Pluto is the largest Kuiper belt object discovered,[117] Neptune's moon Triton, which is slightly
larger than Pluto, is similar to it both geologically and atmospherically, and is thought to be a captured
Kuiper belt object.[155] Eris (see above) is about the same size as Pluto (though more massive) but is not
strictly considered a member of the Kuiper belt population. Rather, it is considered a member of a linked
population called the scattered disc.
A large number of Kuiper belt objects, like Pluto, are in a 2:3 orbital resonance with Neptune. KBOs with
this orbital resonance are called "plutinos", after Pluto.[156]
Like other members of the Kuiper belt, Pluto is thought to be a residual planetesimal; a component of
the original protoplanetary disc around the Sun that failed to fully coalesce into a full-fledged planet.
Most astronomers agree that Pluto owes its current position to a sudden migration undergone by
Neptune early in the Solar System's formation. As Neptune migrated outward, it approached the objects
in the proto-Kuiper belt, setting one in orbit around itself (Triton), locking others into resonances, and
knocking others into chaotic orbits. The objects in the scattered disc, a dynamically unstable region
overlapping the Kuiper belt, are thought to have been placed in their current positions by interactions
with Neptune's migrating resonances.[157] A computer model created in 2004 by Alessandro Morbidelli
of the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur in Nice suggested that the migration of Neptune into the Kuiper
belt may have been triggered by the formation of a 1:2 resonance between Jupiter and Saturn, which
created a gravitational push that propelled both Uranus and Neptune into higher orbits and caused them
to switch places, ultimately doubling Neptune's distance from the Sun. The resultant expulsion of objects
from the proto-Kuiper belt could also explain the Late Heavy Bombardment 600 million years after the
Solar System's formation and the origin of the Jupiter trojans.[158] It is possible that Pluto had a near-
circular orbit about 33 AU from the Sun before Neptune's migration perturbed it into a resonant
capture.[159] The Nice model requires that there were about a thousand Pluto-sized bodies in the original
planetesimal disk, which included Triton and Eris.[158]
Observation and exploration

Pluto's distance from Earth makes its in-depth study and exploration difficult. On July 14, 2015, NASA's
New Horizons space probe flew through the Pluto system, providing much information about it.[160]
Observation
Pluto's visual apparent magnitude averages 15.1, brightening to 13.65 at

perihelion.[2] To see it, a telescope is required; around 30 cm (12 in)
aperture being desirable.[161] It looks star-like and without a visible
disk even in large telescopes, because its angular diameter is only 0.11".
The earliest maps of Pluto, made in the late 1980s, were brightness
maps created from close observations of eclipses by its largest moon,
Charon. Observations were made of the change in the total average
brightness of the Pluto–Charon system during the eclipses. For
example, eclipsing a bright spot on Pluto makes a bigger total
brightness change than eclipsing a dark spot. Computer processing of
Computer-generated rotating
many such observations can be used to create a brightness map. This image of Pluto based on
method can also track changes in brightness over time.[162][163] observations by the Hubble
Space Telescope in 2002–2003
Better maps were produced from images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), which offered
higher resolution, and showed considerably more detail,[98] resolving variations several hundred
kilometers across, including polar regions and large bright spots.[100] These maps were produced by
complex computer processing, which finds the best-fit projected maps for the few pixels of the Hubble
images.[164] These remained the most detailed maps of Pluto until the flyby of New Horizons in July
2015, because the two cameras on the HST used for these maps were no longer in service.[164]
Exploration
The New Horizons spacecraft, which flew by Pluto in July

2015, is the first and so far only attempt to explore Pluto
directly. Launched in 2006, it captured its first (distant)
images of Pluto in late September 2006 during a test of the
Long Range Reconnaissance Imager.[165] The images, taken
from a distance of approximately 4.2 billion kilometers,
confirmed the spacecraft's ability to track distant targets,
critical for maneuvering toward Pluto and other Kuiper belt The portions of Pluto's surface mapped by
objects. In early 2007 the craft made use of a gravity assist New Horizons (annotated)
from Jupiter.
New Horizons made its closest approach to Pluto on July

14, 2015, after a 3,462-day journey across the Solar System.
Scientific observations of Pluto began five months before
the closest approach and continued for at least a month
after the encounter. Observations were conducted using a
remote sensing package that included imaging instruments
and a radio science investigation tool, as well as
spectroscopic and other experiments. The scientific goals of Panoramic view of Pluto's icy mountains and
New Horizons were to characterize the global geology and flat ice plains, imaged by New Horizons 15
morphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their minutes after its closest approach to Pluto.
surface composition, and analyze Pluto's neutral Distinct haze layers in Pluto's atmosphere can
atmosphere and its escape rate. On October 25, 2016, at be seen backlit by the Sun.
05:48 pm ET, the last bit of data (of a total of 50 billion bits
of data; or 6.25 gigabytes) was received from New Horizons
from its close encounter with Pluto.[166][167][168][169]
Since the New Horizons flyby, scientists have advocated for an orbiter mission that would return to
Pluto to fulfill new science objectives.[170] They include mapping the surface at 9.1 m (30 ft) per pixel,
observations of Pluto's smaller satellites, observations of how Pluto changes as it rotates on its axis, and
topographic mapping of Pluto's regions that are covered in long-term darkness due to its axial tilt. The
last objective could be accomplished using laser pulses to generate a complete topographic map of Pluto.
New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern has advocated for a Cassini-style orbiter that would
launch around 2030 (the 100th anniversary of Pluto's discovery) and use Charon's gravity to adjust its
orbit as needed to fulfill science objectives after arriving at the Pluto system.[171] The orbiter could then
use Charon's gravity to leave the Pluto system and study more KBOs after all Pluto science objectives are
completed. A conceptual study funded by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program
describes a fusion-enabled Pluto orbiter and lander based on the Princeton field-reversed configuration
reactor.[172][173]
Sub-Charon hemisphere
The equatorial region of the sub-Charon hemisphere of Pluto has only been imaged at low resolution, as
New Horizons made its closest approach to the anti-Charon hemisphere.
Composite image maps of Pluto from July 14, 2015 (updated 2019)[174][175]
A composite image of the sub-Charon hemisphere of

Pluto. The region inside/below the white line was on the
far side of Pluto when New Horizons made its closest
approach, and was only imaged (at lower resolution) in the
early days of the flyby. Black regions were not imaged at
all.
The low-resolution area, with named features labeled
The low-resolution area, with features classified by geological type
Southern hemisphere
New Horizons imaged all of Pluto's northern hemisphere,

and the equatorial regions down to about 30° South. Higher
southern latitudes have only been observed, at very low
resolution, from Earth. Images from the Hubble Space
Telescope in 1996 cover 85% of Pluto and show large albedo
features down to about 75° South. This is enough to show
the extent of the temperate-zone maculae. Later images had
slightly better resolution, due to minor improvements in
Hubble instrumentation, but didn't reach quite as far south.
A map of Pluto based on Hubble images,
centered on the anti-Charon hemisphere
Videos
(Sputnik Planitia), covering the southern
hemisphere down to 75°S
Pluto flyover animated (July 14, 2015)
(00:30; released September 18, 2015) (00:50; released December 5, 2015)
This mosaic strip – extending across the

hemisphere that faced the New Horizons
spacecraft as it flew past Pluto.
See also
How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming
Pluto in astrology
Pluto in fiction
Notes
a. This photograph was taken by the Ralph telescope aboard New Horizons on July 14, 2015 from a
distance of 35,445 km (22,025 mi). The most prominent feature in the image, the bright, youthful
plains of Tombaugh Regio and Sputnik Planitia, can be seen at right. It contrasts the darker, more
cratered terrain of Cthulhu Macula at lower left. Because of Pluto's 119.591° tilt at its axis, the
southern hemisphere is barely visible in this image; the equator runs through Cthulhu Macula and
the southern parts of Sputnik Planitia.
b. The mean elements here are from the Theory of the Outer Planets (TOP2013) solution by the Institut
de mécanique céleste et de calcul des éphémérides (IMCCE). They refer to the standard equinox
J2000, the barycenter of the Solar System, and the epoch J2000.
c. Surface area derived from the radius r: .
d. Volume v derived from the radius r: .
e. Surface gravity derived from the mass M, the gravitational constant G and the radius r: .
f. Escape velocity derived from the mass M, the gravitational constant G and the radius r: .
g. Based on geometry of minimum and maximum distance from Earth and Pluto radius in the factsheet
h. The equivalence is less close in languages whose phonology differs widely from Greek's, such as
Somali Buluuto and Navajo Tłóotoo.
i. The discovery of Charon in 1978 allowed astronomers to accurately calculate the mass of the
Plutonian system. But it did not indicate the two bodies' individual masses, which could only be
estimated after other moons of Pluto were discovered in late 2005. As a result, because Pluto came
to perihelion in 1989, most Pluto perihelion date estimates are based on the Pluto–Charon
barycenter. Charon came to perihelion 4 September 1989. (http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_
body=1&body_group=mb&sstr=901) The Pluto–Charon barycenter came to perihelion 5 September
1989. (http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_body=1&body_group=mb&sstr=9) Pluto came to
perihelion 8 September 1989. (http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_body=1&body_group=mb&ss
tr=999)
j. The dwarf planet Eris is roughly the same size as Pluto, about 2330 km; Eris is 28% more massive
than Pluto. Eris is a scattered-disc object, often considered a distinct population from Kuiper-belt
objects like Pluto; Pluto is the largest body in the Kuiper belt proper, which excludes the scattered-
disc objects.
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doi:10.1016/0019-1035(92)90129-U (https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0019-1035%2892%2990129-U).
64. Buie, Marc W. "How the Pluto maps were made" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100209202908/htt
p://www.boulder.swri.edu/~buie/pluto/mapstory.html). Archived from the original (http://www.boulder.s
wri.edu/~buie/pluto/mapstory.html) on February 9, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
65. "New Horizons, Not Quite to Jupiter, Makes First Pluto Sighting" (https://web.archive.org/web/201411
13224846/http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/news_center/news/112806.php). pluto.jhuapl.edu – NASA New
Horizons mission site. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. November 28, 2006.
Archived from the original (http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/news_center/news/112806.php) on November 13,
2014. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
66. Chang, Kenneth (October 28, 2016). "No More Data From Pluto" (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/
29/science/pluto-nasa-new-horizons.html). New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
67. "Pluto Exploration Complete: New Horizons Returns Last Bits of 2015 Flyby Data to Earth" (http://plu
to.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20161027). Johns Hopkins Applied Research
Laboratory. October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
68. Brown, Dwayne; Buckley, Michael; Stothoff, Maria (January 15, 2015). "Release 15-011 – NASA's
New Horizons Spacecraft Begins First Stages of Pluto Encounter" (http://www.nasa.gov/press/2015/j
anuary/nasa-s-new-horizons-spacecraft-begins-first-stages-of-pluto-encounter). NASA. Retrieved
January 15, 2015.
69. "New Horizons" (http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Spacecraft/Data-Collection.php). pluto.jhuapl.edu.
Retrieved May 15, 2016.
70. "Why a group of scientists think we need another mission to Pluto" (https://www.theverge.com/2017/
4/26/15424770/nasa-spacecraft-new-horizons-flyby-pluto-moons-orbiter-mission). The Verge.
71. "Going Back to Pluto? Scientists to Push for Orbiter Mission" (https://www.space.com/36697-pluto-or
biter-mission-after-new-horizons.html). Space.com. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
72. Hall, Loura (April 5, 2017). "Fusion-Enabled Pluto Orbiter and Lander" (https://www.nasa.gov/director
ates/spacetech/niac/2017_Phase_I_Phase_II/Fusion_Enabled_Pluto_Orbiter_and_Lander). NASA.
73. Fusion-Enabled Pluto Orbiter and Lander - Phase I Final Report (https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/c
asi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20170003126.pdf). (PDF) Stephanie Thomas, Princeton Satellite Systems. 2017.
74. Gough, Evan (October 25, 2019). "New Horizons Team Pieces Together the Best Images They Have
of Pluto's Far Side" (https://www.universetoday.com/143840/new-horizons-team-pieces-together-the-
best-images-they-have-of-plutos-far-side/). Universe Today. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
75. Stern, S.A.; et al. (2019). "Pluto's Far Side". Pluto System After New Horizons. 2133: 7024.
arXiv:1910.08833 (https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.08833). Bibcode:2019LPICo2133.7024S (https://ui.ads
abs.harvard.edu/abs/2019LPICo2133.7024S).
Further reading
Codex Regius (2016), Pluto & Charon, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform ISBN 978-
1534960749
Stern, S A and Tholen, D J (1997), Pluto and Charon, University of Arizona Press ISBN 978-
0816518401
Stern, Alan; Grinspoon, David (2018). Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto.
Picador. ISBN 978-125009896-2.
External links
New Horizons homepage (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html)
Pluto Profile (https://web.archive.org/web/20120729075223/http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profil
e.cfm?Object=Pluto) at NASA's Solar System Exploration site (http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/)
NASA Pluto factsheet (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/plutofact.html)
Website of the observatory that discovered Pluto (http://www.lowell.edu/)
Earth telescope image of Pluto system (http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/5055/sharpest-ever-vie
ws-of-pluto-and-charon)
Keck infrared with AO of Pluto system (http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/press-releases/PlutoPictures/Pl
uto-Tholen-10-07.html)
Gray, Meghan (2009). "Pluto" (http://www.sixtysymbols.com/videos/pluto.htm). Sixty Symbols. Brady
Haran for the University of Nottingham.
Video – Pluto – viewed through the years (GIF) (http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/views-o
f-pluto-through-the-years) (NASA; animation; July 15, 2015).
Video – Pluto – "FlyThrough" (00:22; MP4) (http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/archive/PIA19873_FLYT
HROUGH_ANIMATION_V5.mp4) (YouTube) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds_OlZnV9qk)
(NASA; animation; August 31, 2015).
"A Day on Pluto Video made from July 2015 New Horizon Images" (http://www.scientificamerican.co
m/video/a-day-on-pluto-reconstructed-from-new-horizons-images/) Scientific American
NASA CGI video (http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20170714-2) of Pluto
flyover (July 14, 2017)
CGI video (https://www.flickr.com/photos/136797589@N04/35260746413/in/photostream/)

simulation of rotating Pluto by Seán Doran (see album (https://www.flickr.com/photos/136797589@N
04/albums/72157686474817595) for more)
Google Pluto 3D (https://www.google.com/maps/space/pluto/@26.4828801,-19.6602925,11338964
m/data=!3m1!1e3), interactive map of the dwarf planet
Interactive 3D gravity simulation of the Plutonian system (https://gravitysimulator.org/solar-system/th
e-plutonian-system)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pluto&oldid=981802724"
This page was last edited on 4 October 2020, at 14:17 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site,
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10/8/2020 Pluto - Wikipedia

Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930 and

History (5.90638 billion km)

Orbit Average orbital 4.743 km/s[2]

In the 1840s, Urbain Le 0.063 g

The discovery made headlines around the globe.[22] Lowell

Astronomers initially calculated its mass

There are two primary definitions of 'planet'.

From 1992 onward, many bodies were discovered

1. The object must be in orbit around the Sun.

Pluto's orbital period is currently about 248 years. Its orbital

Relationship with Neptune

This alone is not enough to protect Pluto; perturbations from the

Numerical studies have shown that over millions of years, the

angular separation of Pluto's perihelion to the orbit of Neptune is

contrastive bodies in the Solar System, with as much contrast as

Sputnik Planitia, the western lobe of the "Heart", is a 1,000 km-wide

Distribution of over 1000 craters of all ages in the northern anti-

Mass and size

Pre-New Horizons model of the

Water ice crust

Pluto's diameter is 2 376.6 ± 3.2 km[5] and

The discovery of Pluto's 1994 1164 km Young & Binzel[118]

Pluto's diameter more accurately, whereas the invention of adaptive

The presence of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, in

Pluto has five known natural satellites. The closest to Pluto

Observation and exploration

Pluto's visual apparent magnitude averages 15.1, brightening to 13.65 at

The New Horizons spacecraft, which flew by Pluto in July

New Horizons made its closest approach to Pluto on July

A composite image of the sub-Charon hemisphere of

The low-resolution area, with named features labeled

The low-resolution area, with features classified by geological type

New Horizons imaged all of Pluto's northern hemisphere,

Pluto flyover animated (July 14, 2015)

(00:30; released September 18, 2015) (00:50; released December 5, 2015)

This mosaic strip – extending across the

50. "IAU 2006 General Assembly: Resolutions 5 and 6" (http://www.iau.org/static/resolutions/Resolution_

28. Croswell, Ken (1992). "Nitrogen in Pluto's Atmosphere" (http://www.kencroswell.com/NitrogenInPluto

CGI video (https://www.flickr.com/photos/136797589@N04/35260746413/in/photostream/)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pluto&oldid=981802724"

This page was last edited on 4 October 2020, at 14:17 (UTC).

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