Physical
• Smaller and less massive than seven
moons
– Ganymede
– Titan
– Callisto
– Io
– Earth’s Moon
– Europa
– Triton
• 9th most distant
planet from Sun
• Pluto crosses over
Neptune’s orbit
• Unique because
only Pluto crosses
another planets
path
Atmosphere
• Nitrogen and Carbon monoxide
• Farther from Sun Pluto gets the more
frozen Nitrogen and Carbon monoxide
build up is
Orbit
• People believe it is part
of the Kuiper Belt
• Interferes with
Neptune’s Orbit
Moons
• Nix, Hydra, and
Charon are the three
moons orbiting Pluto
• Charon is Pluto’s
larget moon
• Some think of Pluto/
Charon as a double
planet rather than a
planet and a moon
Discovery
• 1930 by Clyde W. Tombaugh
• Found by accident
• Looking for Planet X
History
• Named after Greek God Hades
• God of the Underworld
• Got it’s name because it looks like it is
in perpetual darkness
Satellites
• No real good pictures of Pluto
• Satellite “New Horizons” was
launched in 2006
• Should reach Pluto by 2015
No longer a planet
• International Astronomical Union
decided Pluto is no longer a planet
• Why?
– To small to be a planet
– Orbit was different than other planets
– “A planet is an object that orbits the sun
and is large enough to have become round
due to the force of it’s own gravity”
Works cited
• 1. "All About Astronomy." Enchanted
Learning.com. Enchanted Learning. Web. 7
Feb. 2011.
<http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/
astronomy/planets/pluto/>.
• 2. "Dwarf Planet Pluto." Views of the Solar
System. Web. 08 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.solarviews.com/eng/pluto.htm>.
• 3. "Physical Characteristics of Pluto, Pluto
Planet, History Facts Pictures Information
Debate Solar System Info, Pluto Status, Pluto
Planets for Kids, Discovery of Pluto Planet,
Naming of Pluto 1930, The Planet Pluto
Discovery, Pluto Naming, Discovery of Planet
Pluto." NASA International Space Station
Shuttle Missions Solar System Google Earth
Science and Technology Universe Astronomy
Moon and Mars Milky Way Planet Earth
Satellite Space Telescope. Web. 09 Feb.
2011.
<http://www.spacestationinfo.com/physicalcharacteristics-pluto.htm>.
• 4. "Planets: Pluto." Solar System
Exploration. Web. 08 Feb. 2011.
<http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cf
m?Object=Pluto>.
• 5. "Pluto L Pluto Facts, Pictures and
Information." The Nine Planets Solar System
Tour. Web. 08 Feb. 2011.
<http://nineplanets.org/pluto.html>.