From its discovery in 1930 up until 2006 Pluto Planet was classified as the ninth planet of the solar system. The most massive dwarf planet of the solar system is Eris, Pluto is the second massive dwarf planet. An astronomer Clyde Tombaugh was the first to discover the planet. Pluto is present at the edge of the solar system. It is also the second closest dwarf planet to the sun. We have gathered some interesting facts about Pluto.

How long does it take sunlight to reach Pluto Planet?

Sunlight reaches the surface of the planet in five and a half hours. Well, it is quite a long duration. While it takes sunlight eight minutes to reach earth.

How long is a year on Pluto? 

Pluto’s rotation around the sun is so slow that it takes the planet 247.9 earth years to orbit the sun. Due to this slow rotation Pluto sometimes enters inside Neptune’s orbit.

Pluto’s Moon

There are five moons that orbit the planet. The name of Pluto’s moons are Charon, Hydra and Nix both discovered in 2005, Kerberos and Styx. In 2011 and 2012, Kerberos and Styx were discovered respectively.

Nix and Hydra were discovered by the Hubble Telescope. Both moons names are after the Greek gods. Hydra name is after the Greek god of the underworld. While Nix name is after the Greek goddess of darkness.

Largest Moon of Pluto

Charon is the largest moon of Pluto Planet. The gravitational lock causes the moon to face the planet always on the same side. Means one same side always faces the planet. Charon is approximately the size of Pluto.

Diameter

The diameter of Pluto is 2, 326 kilometers.

Distance from Sun

Pluto is very far from the sun. The distance of Pluto from the sun is 3.7 billion miles.

The planet is one third water

The water on Pluto is three times more than the water in all the oceans of earth. But this water is in the form of ice. The remaining two thirds of the planet is rock. Pluto’s surface is covered with ice.

Mountain Ranges

Pluto has several mountain ranges. Tartarus Dorsa are 500 meter high mountains that are present on the western part of Pluto. Large craters are scattered on the surface of Pluto.

Temperature 

Pluto is an extremely cold dwarf planet. It is two-third the size of our moon. Even the gases like oxygen and nitrogen are frozen. The surface temperature of Pluto is -233 degree Celsius. So there are no chances of life there.

How long is a day on Pluto? 

6.4 earth days make a single day on Pluto.

A Pluton Planet or a Dwarf Planet

Pluto was classified as a planet since its discovery in 1930. Back in August 2006, more than 2, 500 scientists researched the true meaning of the word “Planet”. The researchers explained:

“Pluto failed to dominate its orbit around the sun in the same way as the other planets”. One more property that throws it out of the list of planets is its size. The pluto size is so small, we can call a planet. That is why, everybody call it dwarf planet.

There are some conditions that must be fulfill to be call a planet. The planet should have its own orbit around the sun and it should be large enough to have a round shape.

Missions to Pluto

New Horizons is NASA’s first mission to Pluto which is helping us in understanding the dwarf planet. This spacecraft was sent in July 2015 to visit Pluto.  

Well, these facts about Pluto has impressed me a lot. Now it’s one of my favorite planet.