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/physical-characteristics-pluto.htm>.

• 4. "Planets: Pluto." Solar System Exploration. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?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>.