Pluto The Dwarf Planet

Location There are times when Pluto is the furthest away from the Sun, and also when it’s not. The average distance from the Sun is over 3.5 billion miles. The closest It gets from the sun is 2.5 billion miles. The farthest away it can get is 4.5 billion miles.

Why were people questioning whether Pluto was a planet or not? Pluto has been known as the ninth planet of our solar system since it was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory in 1930. On the other hand, it has been clear for decades that Pluto does not fit in with the pattern of the other planets. Over the last few years, the accumulated information on Pluto and the discovery of an increasing number of other objects in the outer solar system with orbital characteristics very similar to those of Pluto have been discussed within the community of astronomers called "minor-planet researchers". The question of the official status of Pluto has recently come to the forefront because the orbits of some of these other objects are now sufficiently well determined that it is reasonable to begin including them in the catalog of orbits of what are now generically known as "Trans-Neptunian Objects" (TNOs). There's debate in the scientific world. National Geographic News says that, according to the International Astronomical Union, a full-fledged planet is an object that orbits the sun and is large enough to have become round due to the force of its own gravity. Because Pluto doesn't make these standards, the IAU classifies Pluto as a dwarf planet.

Pluto’s Moons Pluto has three moons, Charon, Nix and Hydra. Charon is the largest of the three. Charon has a diameter about half the size of Pluto’s. Charon orbits close to Pluto, and because of this, they are sometimes considered a double planet.

Surface Features and Atmosphere The surface is very dark, and VERY cold. It has barely any light or heat because of its distance away from the sun. Its temperature is 250 degrees Celsius Its atmosphere is VERY thin. Its so thin that it can’t support and kind of life. The atmosphere is composed of methane, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen. Under Pluto's atmosphere there is Helium and nitrogen Its core is composed of liquid iron

Size of Pluto Radius- is 1,137 km Mass- 1.27x 10 to the 22nd power kg Shape- round, no rings, and 122 degrees tilt Density- 2.05 gm/cm cubed

Fun Facts About Pluto! Pluto is composed of rock and ice It is relatively small, it’s a fifth of the mass of earth’s moon Pluto is the second largest dwarf planet after Eris All of All dwarf planets are smaller than all of the regular planets in the Solar System. The most famous dwarf planet, Pluto, is smaller than Earth’s Moon, and half the width of Jupiter’s Moon, Ganymede. Dwarf planets orbit on a different plain than the other 8 planets, going over them and below them.

More Fun Facts About Pluto The orbits of dwarf planets are elliptical, (that they are more oval than round). Pluto can sometimes come closer to the Sun than Neptune, but then go almost two billion kilometers further away from Neptune's orbit. Pluto was the only planet to have been discovered in the Twentieth Century, even though it is no longer recognized as a planet. The origin of Pluto’s name is from Greek mythology . It means wealth and it is also another name for the god Hades. Who is god of the underworld

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REFERENCE PAGE! Adams, James, 2000, Bob The Aliens Tour of the Solar System, http://www.bobthealien.co.uk/plutoten.htm Dr. Barbara Mattson, Friday, 12-Jan-2007, Goddard Space Flight Center http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/pluto.html http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/spacescience/pluto-planet/ http://www.slideshare.net/davilajonathan/pluto-2975224 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_Pluto's_atmosphere_made_of Science book http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_below_Pluto_atmosphere

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