Pluto - Wikipedia
Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most- massive known object to directly orbit the Sun .
Pluto Facts - Science@NASA
When Pluto is close to the Sun, its surface ices sublimate (changing directly from solid to gas) and rise to temporarily form a thin atmosphere. Pluto's low gravity (about 6% of Earth's) causes the atmosphere to be much more extended in altitude than our planet's atmosphere.
Pluto - NASA Science
Pluto is a dwarf planet located in a distant region of our solar system beyond Neptune known as the Kuiper Belt. Pluto was long considered our ninth planet, but the International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006.
Why is Pluto no longer a planet? - BBC News
Jul 13, 2015 · For more than 70 years, Pluto was one of nine planets recognised in our Solar System. But in 2006, it was relegated to the status of dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). So...
All About Pluto | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Nov 8, 2024 · Pluto is just one of many icy objects in a distant area of our solar system. Pluto and its large, orbiting moon Charon, are tipped on their sides. Pluto is almost 40 times farther from the Sun than Earth is.
Pluto | Size, Moons, Temperature, & Facts | Britannica
Nov 10, 2024 · Pluto, large, distant member of the solar system that formerly was regarded as the outermost and smallest planet. In 2006 a group of experts in the scientific community voted to give Pluto the new classification of dwarf planet. Learn more about Pluto in this article.
In Depth | Pluto – NASA Solar System Exploration
It's about 3.6 billion miles away from the Sun, and it has a thin atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide. On average, Pluto’s temperature is -387°F (-232°C), making it too cold to sustain life. Pluto is orbited by five known moons, the …
Five Years after New Horizons’ Historic Flyby, Here Are 10 ... - NASA
Jul 14, 2020 · Pluto has a beating “heart” that controls its atmosphere and climate. Cold and far-flung as Pluto may be, its icy “heart” still beats to a daily, rhythmic drum that drives Pluto’s atmosphere and climate much in the way Greenland and Antarctica help control Earth’s climate.
Pluto & Dwarf Planets - NASA Science
Pluto is by far the most famous dwarf planet. Discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930, Pluto was long considered our solar system's ninth planet. But after other astronomers found similar intriguing worlds deeper in the distant Kuiper Belt – the IAU reclassified Pluto as a …
What Is Pluto? (Grades 5-8) - NASA
Aug 4, 2015 · Pluto is a dwarf planet, a Kuiper Belt object and a trans-Neptunian object. Clyde Tombaugh, a U.S. astronomer, discovered Pluto in 1930.