Pluto:
Pluto: the ninth planet from the Sun.
In 1930 the discovery of Pluto by Clyde Tombaugh in the Lowell Observatory was heralded as the discovery of the Ninth planet in our solar system.
The first eight planets orbit the Sun while keeping the same distance from the Sun. The Earth is always 93 million miles, one Astronomical Unit, from the Sun. Pluto, however, orbits in an ellipse, an oval shape which means its distance from the Sun varies.
Of the nine planets, Pluto is the 2nd smallest, only just bigger than Mercury.
It takes Pluto 248½ years to complete its orbit round the Sun. The Earth takes one year.
Like all of the planets, Pluto turns on its own axis as it orbits around the sun. Pluto takes about 6½ days to turn on its axis. The Earth takes 24 hours, one day.
Pluto has five known moons: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx.
Since Pluto was the Roman God of the Underworld, the planet’s main moon, Charon, is named after the ferryman who carries the dead souls across the River Styx into the Underworld.
Pluto has not yet been visited by a spacecraft. Even the Hubble Space Telescope can resolve only the largest features on its surface. A spacecraft called New Horizons was launched in January 2006. If all goes well it should reach Pluto in 2015.
Pluto: the ninth planet from the Sun.
In 1930 the discovery of Pluto by Clyde Tombaugh in the Lowell Observatory was heralded as the discovery of the Ninth planet in our solar system.
The first eight planets orbit the Sun while keeping the same distance from the Sun. The Earth is always 93 million miles, one Astronomical Unit, from the Sun. Pluto, however, orbits in an ellipse, an oval shape which means its distance from the Sun varies.
Of the nine planets, Pluto is the 2nd smallest, only just bigger than Mercury.
It takes Pluto 248½ years to complete its orbit round the Sun. The Earth takes one year.
Like all of the planets, Pluto turns on its own axis as it orbits around the sun. Pluto takes about 6½ days to turn on its axis. The Earth takes 24 hours, one day.
Pluto has five known moons: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx.
Since Pluto was the Roman God of the Underworld, the planet’s main moon, Charon, is named after the ferryman who carries the dead souls across the River Styx into the Underworld.
Pluto has not yet been visited by a spacecraft. Even the Hubble Space Telescope can resolve only the largest features on its surface. A spacecraft called New Horizons was launched in January 2006. If all goes well it should reach Pluto in 2015.