Pluto: From Planet to Dwarf Planet

The icy, enigmatic planet of Pluto is the ninth and furthest planet from our sun. The planet Pluto is also the smallest in our solar system; it is even smaller than many of the moons that orbit other planets.

While attempting to locate the cause of Neptune’s orbital interruption, Clyde W. Tombaugh discovered Pluto on February 18, 1930. While mistaken to believe that Pluto was the planet causing the disturbance, Tombaugh was correct about its presence.

The planet Pluto has yet to be visited by a spacecraft. It is hoped that the New Horizons craft will reach the planet on July 14, 2015. We do know that Pluto is a planet made up mostly of ice. Like its atmosphere, this icy surface is composed of Nitrogen, Methane and Carbon Monoxide. Its unusual 90,613-day orbit causes an anti-green house effect through freezing and sublimation.

One of the largest objects of the Kuiper Belt, the planet Pluto was named after the Roman god. This name, as well as its astronomical symbol, also reveres Percival Lowell, who predicted the existence of the planet years previous to its actual discovery.

For pictures of the planet Pluto, additional information, and other interactive features, just click on any of the links below.