Pluto
By: Rachel Mgbeike
Pluto Characteristics
Average Temperature: -390 degrees Fahrenheit
Layers: Rocky core, ice/water outer core, surface of ices
Surface Composition: 30% water/ice & 70% rock
Atmosphere Composition:
- Nitrogen
- Carbon-monoxide
- Methane
General Facts
151 Plutos can fit into Earth!
If you weigh 150 lbs on Earth, you'd weigh 9 lbs on Pluto!
Sometimes called a Double Planet because of Charon's orbit!
Located in the Kuiper Belt
Distance from Sun: 3.67 billion miles*
Diameter: 1,475 miles
Mass: 1.31 x 10^22 kg
Moons: Five - Charon, Hydra, Nix, Kerberos, Styx
Pluto Facts!
*on average
Is Pluto a Planet?
TRUE OR FALSE
About Pluto
Pluto's Peculiar Orbit
Pluto is the largest Dwarf Planet in the solar system.
Pluto has only orbited the sun once since discovery.
The name "Pluto" is the Greek name for god of the Underworld.
- 1 Pluto year = 248.5 earth years
- 1 Pluto day = 6.3 earth days
False
"Pluto" is the ROMAN name of the god of the Underworld. "Hades" is the Greek name.
True
Eris is only more massive. By volume, Pluto is slightly larger.
False
- 9th largest body orbiting the sun
- Discovered in 1930
- Was regarded the 9th planet in the Milky Way until 2006
- Is now a Dwarf Planet renamed 13434 Pluto
Pluto has not even completed ONE full orbit since discovery.
- Travels at an incline and in an elliptical
- Ranges between 4.58 and 2.76 billion km from the sun its orbit
- At its furthest, Pluto's atmosphere is solid ice
- At its closest, Pluto's atmosphere sublimates
- Intersects with Neptune's orbital path
Believe It or Not: Pluto was once considered the 8th planet
From 1979 to 1999, Pluto was closer to the sun than Neptune
The name for the planet Pluto was proposed by an 11-year-old.
Pluto has a very weak magnetosphere
True
This is true. Her name was Venetia Burney. She proposed the name to her grandfather who shared it with an astronomer at Oxford.
False
It is unknown whether Pluto even has a magnetosphere.
Discovery
Percival Lowell officially discovered Pluto in 1930.
False
Gosh, pay attention... it was Clyde Tombaugh who discovered Pluto in 1930. Lowell died in 1916.
- Astronomer Percival Lowell began the search in 1906 for planetary bodies beyond Neptune
- Died in 1916 before discovery in 1930
- In 1930, Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto
Pluto Exploration
- Hubble Telescope used to photograph Pluto in the 1990's
- Jan. 19, 2006 - NASA launches the New Horizons spacecraft
- July 14, 20015 - Reaches Pluto
- Traveled past Pluto at an altitude of 6,000 ft and a speed of 31,000 mph
Hubble Telescope v.s. New Horizons
Bibliography
Matt Williams "What Is the Color of Pluto?" Universe Today. N.p., 28 Mar. 2017. Web. 17 May 2017.
Charles Q. "Pluto: Facts & Information About the Dwarf Planet Pluto." Space.com. N.p., 22 July 2015. Web. 17 May 2017.
Koffler, Jacob. "Pluto: 9 Facts You Need to Know." Time. Time, 14 July 2015. Web. 17 May 2017.
Cain, Fraiser. "Temperature of Pluto." Universe Today. N.p., 06 Feb. 2017. Web. 17 May 2017.
Watchfreeschool. "All About Pluto and Dwarf Planets for Kids: Astronomy and Space for Children - FreeSchool." YouTube. YouTube, 02 Apr. 2016. Web. 17 May 2017.
Scishowspace. "Why Is Pluto Not A Planet?" YouTube. YouTube, 15 Apr. 2014. Web. 17 May 2017.