The History of Pluto
Pluto, also known as “Hades” by the Greeks, is the second-biggest known dwarf planet in our Solar System and the tenth-largest body detected directly circling the Sun. Pluto was considered a planet until August 24, 2006, however, it is now recognized as the biggest member of the Kuiper belt. The term “Pluto” alluded to the “god of the underworld” to the Romans. These names are derived from the fact that the planet is completely black due to its distance from the Sun.
Pluto, like Neptune, cannot be viewed with a basic telescope from Earth. It is approximately 5.9 billion miles from the Sun on average. Because of its remoteness from Earth, there is little information available about it. The narrative of Pluto’s discovery began in 1905, with astronomer Percival Lowell at the Lowell Observatory. Lowell was examining the gravitational pull of an item at the moment. Lowell, an American astronomer, discovered that an object’s gravitational attraction affected how Uranus and Neptune traveled around the Sun. He was certain that this item had to come from another planet. Lowell resumed his quest for the planet after his death in 1916, but he was unable to locate it.
Clyde Tombaugh continued the work begun by Lowell at the Lowell Observatory. Tombaugh was able to photograph space with a more modern telescope. To find Pluto, Tombaugh and other astronomers relied on Lowell’s calculations. Even though Lowell was not alive when Pluto was discovered, his calculations were utilized to assist American Clyde Tombaugh in his discovery of Pluto in 1930.
The Orbit Of Pluto
Pluto, like the other planets, orbits the Sun in an elliptical orbit. Pluto’s orbit around the Sun takes around 248 Earth years. The planet spins once every 6 Earth days. Pluto’s perihelion distance is 2.7 billion miles (4.4 billion km), while its aphelion distance is 4.5 billion miles (7.4 billion kilometers). Pluto is tilted 120 degrees on its axis and rotates in reverse. This means Pluto is laying on its “side” and revolving in the opposite direction as the bulk of the other planets in the galaxy.
Because Neptune is “near” to Pluto, Pluto will be stuck in Neptune’s orbit for around 20 years, as Pluto circles the Sun every 248 years.
Expeditions To Pluto
Due to the planet’s remoteness, there have been no previous trips to Pluto.
In 1996, the Hubble Space Telescope successfully captured photos of Pluto. The photos acquired revealed bright and dark regions on the planet’s surface.
The “New Horizons” spacecraft was launched in 2006 with the goal of reaching Pluto in 2015. The purpose of this strategy is to learn more about Pluto, namely its surface and typography.
Exploring A Day On Pluto
With a maximum temperature of -375 degrees Fahrenheit (-225 degrees Celsius), this planet would be unsuitable to humanity. Not only is the planet frigid, but it is also gloomy, making it unappealing in comparison to the other worlds. Pluto’s dark surface is covered in ice and rock terrain. It has a diameter of 1,455 miles and is 67 percent the size of the Earth’s moon.
Pluto’s atmosphere is largely made up of frozen methane. The Hubble Space Telescope saw bright and dark patches representing nitrogen and methane regions, respectively. Pluto’s atmosphere also contains tiny quantities of carbon monoxide. It’s worth noting that Pluto, unlike its closest neighbors, is not a gas planet. This prompted scientists to question whether Pluto is indeed a planet.
This has recently led scientists to assume that Pluto is comparable to the Kuiper Belt Objects. The Kuiper Belt Objects are a collection of small objects situated near Pluto. Kuiper Belt Objects are genuine remnants of planet creation. The belief that Pluto is a Kuiper Belt Object has assisted scientists in explaining why Pluto is not a gas planet like its closest planetary neighbors. The Kuiper Belt Objects were also studied during the 2015 mission to Pluto.
The Kuiper Belt Objects were the location of the finding of another object larger than Pluto in 2005. It is thought to be a planet with a minor satellite in orbit around it. This object has been given the name 2003 UB313, and it circles the Sun every 560 Earth years.
Scientists have not identified life on Pluto and do not think it exists.
Pluto Demoted
Pluto was demoted from an official planet to a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on August 24, 2006. A planet must fulfill three requirements under the new rules: it must circle the Sun, be large enough for gravity to squish it into a spherical ball, and have cleared other objects out of its orbital vicinity. The latter excludes Pluto and 2003UB313 (Eris), both of which orbit among the frozen wrecks of the Kuiper Belt, as well as Ceres, which is in the asteroid belt.
(1) A “planet” is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has enough mass to overcome rigid body forces and adopt a hydrostatic equilibrium (almost spherical) form, and (c) has cleared the neighborhood surrounding its orbit.
(2) A “dwarf planet” is a celestial body that (a) orbits the Sun, (b) has enough mass to overcome rigid body forces and acquires a hydrostatic equilibrium (almost spherical) form, (c) has not cleared the neighborhood surrounding its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite.
(3) Other than satellites circling the Sun, all other objects are referred to collectively as “Small Solar-System Bodies.”
The Satellites Of Pluto
- Charon
The discovery of Charon is attributed to James Christy of the United States Naval Observatory. He named Pluto’s primary moon after the Greek “carrier of the dead,” who was in charge of bringing remains down to “Hades.”
Charon is estimated to be 11,889 miles from Pluto’s surface by astronomers. The diameter of Charon is 737 miles (1,186 km). Until Charon was found in 1978, it was thought that Pluto was too tiny to have its own satellite. Astronomers later discovered the existence of Charon around Pluto on an image dated back to 1965.
Charon’s surface characteristics are considered to be comparable to Pluto’s and coated with water ice. Astronomers see Pluto and Charon’s connection as unusual. Charon is well-known for its ability to maintain a synchronized orbit with Pluto. As a result, from Pluto, it seems like the satellite is floating in mid-air rather than moving in orbit around it.
- Nix and Hydra
The names of Pluto’s other two moons are “Nix” and “Hydra.” The legendary term “Nix” alludes to the “goddess of the night and darkness.” However, in mythology, the term “Hydra” refers to a nine-headed snake.
Nix is the closest satellite to Pluto, with Hydra being farther away. Southwest Research Institute scientists found Nix and Hydra in 2005. To refer to these twin spacecraft, they were assigned the general designations S/2005 P 2 and S/2005 P 1, however, the scientists were subsequently permitted to name the satellites “Nix” and “Hydra.”
Statistics About Pluto
| Discovered By | Clyde Tombaugh |
| Date of Discovery | 1930 |
| Average Distance from the Sun | Metric: 5,906,380,000 km English: 3,670,050,000 miles Scientific Notation: 5.90638 x 109 km (39.482 A.U.) By Comparison: 39.482 x Earth |
| Perihelion (closest) | Metric: 4,436,820,000 km English: 2,756,902,000 miles Scientific Notation: 4.43682 x 109 km (29.658 A.U.) By Comparison: 30.171 x Earth |
| Aphelion (farthest) | Metric: 7,375,930,000 km English: 4,583,190,000 miles Scientific Notation: 7.37593 x 109 km (49.305 A.U.) By Comparison: 48.481 x Earth |
| Equatorial Radius | Metric: 1,151 km English: 715 miles Scientific Notation: 1.151 x 103 km By Comparison: 0.180 x Earth |
| Equatorial Circumference | Metric: 7,232 km English: 4,494 miles Scientific Notation: 7.232 x 103 km |
| Volume | Metric: 6,390,000,000 km3 English: 1,530,000,000 mi3 Scientific Notation: 6.39 x 109 km3 By Comparison: 0.0059 x Earth |
| Mass | Metric: 13,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg Scientific Notation: 1.3 x 1022 kg By Comparison: 0.0022 x Earth |
| Density | Metric: 2 g/cm3 By Comparison: ~ 0.4 x Earth |
| Surface Area | Metric: 16,650,000 km2 English: 6,430,000 square miles Scientific Notation: 1.665 x 107 km2 By Comparison: 0.033 x Earth |
| Equatorial Surface Gravity | Metric: 0.81 m/s2 English: 2.7 ft/s2 By Comparison: If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 8 pounds on Pluto. |
| Escape Velocity | Metric: 4,570 km/h English: 2,840 mph Scientific Notation: 1,270 m/s By Comparison: Escape velocity of Earth is 25,022 mph. |
| Sidereal Rotation Period (Length of Day) | 6.387 Earth days 153.3 hours By Comparison: One Earth day is 24 hours. |
| Sidereal Orbit Period (Length of Year) | 247.92 Earth years 90,553 Earth days |
| Mean Orbit Velocity | Metric: 17,096 km/h English: 10,623 mph Scientific Notation: 4,749.0 m/s By Comparison: 0.425 x Earth |
| Orbital Eccentricity | 0.2488 By Comparison: 14.9 x Earth |
| Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic | 17.14 degrees |
| Equatorial Inclination to Orbit | 119.61 degrees By Comparison: 5.10 x Earth |
| Orbital Circumference | Metric: 32,820,000,000 km English: 20,390,000,000 miles Scientific Notation: 3.282 x 1010 km By Comparison: 35.505 x Earth |
| Minimum/Maximum Surface Temperature | Metric: -233/-223 °C English: -387/-369 °F Scientific Notation: 40/50 K |
| Atmospheric Constituents | By Comparison: Earth’s atmosphere consists mostly of N2 and O2. |
References
Encyclopedia Britannica. “Pluto.” 2006. Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service. 2006 (http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-54307)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (N.A.S.A). “Pluto: Facts & Figures.” 2006.(http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?
Object=Pluto&Display=Facts).
Spinrad, Hyron. “Pluto.” World Book Online Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc. (http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar435500).
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (N.A.S.A). “Pluto: Overview.” 2007 (http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/
profile.cfm?Object=Pluto).
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