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| Average distance from the Sun | 5,913,520,000 km / 39.5 AU |
| Diameter | 2,372 km |
| Mass | 1.31e22 kg |
| Orbital period around the Sun | 247.94 Earth years / 90,570 Earth days |
| Number of moons | 5 known moons, Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra |
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| Pluto was the ninth planet until August 2006, when the International Astronomical Union reclassified it as a dwarf planet. It’s composition and atmosphere are unknown but it is likely composed of rock, ice, and frozen gases. Pluto’s orbit is more elliptical and more inclined than the orbits of the eight solar system planets. The icy dwarf planet is not massive enough to clear debris from its orbit, a key reason why it is not a planet. Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, was discovered in 1978. In 2005, two smaller moons were discovered and later named Nix and Hydra. On 14 July 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft became the first spacecraft to fly by Pluto. During its brief flyby, New Horizons made detailed measurements and observations of Pluto and its moons. | |
Our Solar System
Our solar system is located on the edge of a spiral arm called Orion’s Arm, and is one-half to two-thirds of the way (28,000 light-years) from the center of our Milky Way galaxy.The Sun, Sol
The Inner Planets
Mercury
Venus
Earth
The Moon
Mars
The Asteroid Belt
Dwarf planet, Ceres
Asteroid, Ida
Asteroid, Vesta
Asteroid, Eros
The Outer Planets
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
The Kuiper Belt
Dwarf planet, Pluto
Dwarf planet, Eris
The Oort Cloud
Dwarf planet, Sedna
Comet Halley
Comet Hale-Bopp
Glossary of Terms
