PLUTO: “THE PIPSQUEAK” By J.P. Walsh

Planet X  Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Percival Lowell  He discovered it accidentally because Pluto’s gravitational pull upset the orbit of Neptune.  This obstruction had to be another planet, Planet X as they called it.

Pluto: God of Death  In Roman mythology, Pluto was the god of Death (Hades in Greek mythology).  The Trial of Death included crossing the river of the Dead (called the river Styx), getting past Cerberus (a fierce guard of the land of the dead), and finally, coming before the Judges of the Dead.

The Satellites of Pluto  Pluto has three moons: Charon, Nix, and Hydra.  Charon is actually almost the size of Pluto.  Nix and Hydra have said to only be around 50 to 60 km in diameter.

Some Science Stuff  Pluto’s volume is about 6,390,000,000 km cubed, which is.66% of Earth’s volume.  Pluto’s mass is about 13 septillion kg  Pluto’s distance from the sun is about 5,906,380,000 km These are approximations because Pluto is so far away, it is hard to tell the exact calculations.

No Life to Live  Pluto has such a thin atmosphere that it only exists as a gas when Pluto is at its perihelion.  When the atmosphere does become a gas, some of it has said to have interacted with Charon.

Atmospheric Composition  Pluto has said to be mostly comprised of methane, ethane, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide.  Because it is so far away, it is hard to really test the atmospheric composition of Pluto.

Pluto’s revolution and rotation  Pluto’s revolution period is about 248 Earth years.  Pluto’s rotational period is about 6.39 Earth days.

The Unknown  Not much is known about Pluto compared to other planets, mostly because a spacecraft hasn’t visited it yet.  NASA’s New Horizons should reach Pluto and the Kuiper Belt in 2015.

Surface Features  Pluto’s images are hard to come by. Even the Hubble telescope can only make out grainy images.

Pluto

Pluto’s temperatures  Pluto has a high temperature of -210 degrees Celsius  Pluto has a low temperature of -235 degrees Celsius  That is about -375 degrees Fahrenheit!

Interesting Facts  Romans were afraid to say Pluto’s real name because it might cause him hear them and kill them.

Interesting Facts Continued

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