Pluto - The Planet That Isn't
We were all taught in school that their are nine planets in the solar system - with Pluto being the smallest and the farthest away. But in August of 2006, five hundred astronomers in the Czech Republic voted Pluto "off the island", in Survivor terms. That's right, Pluto has been stripped of its planet status!
Pluto - Discovery and Background
Pluto was discovered (by mistake) by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh in 1930 when Clyde was looking for a different planet he believed existed. After finding Pluto, scientists continued to look for a 10th planet, but nothing was ever found.Pluto - The Demotion
In order to be considered a planet by scientists, a body must be big enough to have cleared other debris (comets, asteroids, etc.) out of its path as it circles the sun. Pluto is inside a big comet field called the Kuiper Belt, so it had to pack its planetary bags. And you thought The Apprentice was harsh?Pluto - Did U Know?
| Properties of Pluto | |
|---|---|
| Mass | 1.29e+22 |
| Distance from Sun | 5,906 billion kms/3,906 billion miles |
| Distance from Earth | 4.4 billion kms/2.67 billion miles |
| Length of Year | 248 Earth years (to rotate the sun) |
| Rotation Time | 144 hours, 6 hours |
| Angle of Axis | 122.46 degrees |
| Diameter | 2340 kms/1454 miles |
| Number of Satellites | 1 |
| Number of Rings | Unknown |
| Number of Moons | 1 |
| Temperature | Average of -390 Fahrenheit/-233 Celsius |
| Weight on Pluto | A 100 pound person would weigh 6.9 pounds |
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