Napoleon Dynamite



2,302 kilometers in diameter
About 2/3 the size of the moon
The diameter of Pluto is roughly ½ the width
of the United States
There are no pictures of Pluto showing its
color
 Pluto is perceived to be grey like the moon
 Pluto has lots of methane
icecaps and astronomers
say that the dwarf planet
is rocky




One revolution around sun for Pluto takes
90,520 days or 248 earth years
Pluto rotates all the way around its axis in
around 153 hours or 6.39 earth days
Pluto is tilted on its axis at 122.5 degrees



Pluto has a density of 2.05 grams/cm3
Earth has a density 5.52 grams/cm3
Pluto is 2.7 times less dense than Earth



Pluto’s gravity is far less than Earth’s
If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would
weigh about 6.5 pounds on Pluto
The gravitational acceleration on the surface
of Pluto is about 2.2 feet/second squared



Pluto’s atmosphere, when present is
composed of carbon monoxide, methane,
and nitrogen
When Pluto is closest to the sun, some of the
elements turn to gas and form an
atmosphere
When Pluto is far from the sun, the gas in the
atmosphere solidifies and the atmosphere
disappears


Pluto’s surface is mainly frozen methane, and
carbon monoxide, as well as ice
The core of Pluto is rocky so scientists think
there could be rocky surface on Pluto as well
Artist’s
interpretation




Pluto has a rocky core
surrounded by a
mantle of ice, nitrogen,
and methane
Pluto is about 50-70%
rock
Ice, methane, and
nitrogen make up the
rest


It’s not known if Pluto has a magnetic field for
sure
Pluto’s small size and slow rotation are
signals that Pluto has little or no magnetic
field
Pluto has 5 moons
 The two newest moons
Kerberos and Styx were
discovered in 2011 and 2012
 Pluto’s main moon Charon is more than half
the size of Pluto itself and some people
consider it to be a second dwarf planet





In January of 2006, NASA launched a
spacecraft to Pluto, it will arrive in 2015
Pluto was named by an 11 year old girl
This girl gave her idea to her grandpa, who
then submitted the name to the Lowell
observatory
Pluto and its moons are all named after
things in the Grecian underworld
Pluto fact chart
Size
2,302 km in diameter, 2/3 diameter of the moon, ½ width of U.S.
General
color/features
No actual color pictures, perceived to be grey and rocky with
methane icecaps and lots of ice
Days and years
One rotation is 6.39 earth days, one revolution is 248 earth years
Density
2.05 grams/cubic centimeter
Gravity
2.2 feet/second squared
Atmosphere
composition
Only has and atmosphere when close to sun, made of gaseous
nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane
Surface
composition
Frozen methane, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and ice. Rocky
Interior
composition
Rock core with ice mantles, traces of nitrogen and methane
Magnetic field
Very weak, if any at all
Moons
5 moons, Charon, Nix, Hydra, Styx, and Kerberos
Unique things
Space mission will reach Pluto in 2015