at the edge of the solar system
Pluto pushes the boundaries of our
understanding of the universe nestled
within the far-flung Kuiper belt the
dwarf planet is believed to be one of
countless celestial objects left over
from the formation of the solar system
while it is one of the Kuiper belts
largest bodies Pluto is only half as
wide as the contiguous United States and
about two-thirds the size of Earth’s
moon making it easily dwarfed by the
solar system’s eighth true planets this
tiny world takes 248 earth years to
orbit the Sun and it does so from an
average distance of over 3.6 billion
miles or 40 times the space between
Earth and the Sun such a distance from
the solar system’s main source of heat
causes extreme temperatures on the dwarf
planet surface between negative 375 and
negative 400 degrees Fahrenheit the
frigid temperatures play a crucial role
in shaping the geological composition of
Pluto its core likely made of rock and
metals is encapsulated by a mantle made
of ice the dwarf planet crust is made of
rock material and other types of ice
such as frozen carbon monoxide methane
and nitrogen these frozen gases cover
Pluto’s approximately 6.4 million square
miles of surface area which is barely
the size of Russia the icy terrain is
much like Earth’s with polar ice caps
valleys planes and craters it even has
glaciers made of frozen nitrogen and
frozen water on the surface makes giant
floating mountains
such varied terrain is influenced by the
presence of weather patterns or an
atmosphere Pluto’s atmosphere is thin
and reaches a high altitude due to the
dwarf planets low gravity which is only
about 6% as strong as Earth’s the
atmosphere is comprised of nitrogen and
methane gases plus red hydrocarbon
particles that scatter sunlight to give
Pluto blue skies parts of the atmosphere
may even freeze and fall like snow
floating high above the dwarf planet’s
atmosphere are five moons the largest
Charon is about half the size of Pluto
the four other moons Nix Hydra Kerberos
and Styx are much smaller while the a
true planets were discovered by the
mid-1800s Pluto was not spotted until
1930 Pluto named after the Roman god of
the underworld was considered the ninth
planet but in 2006 Pluto lost the status
at the time worlds similar to Pluto were
being discovered deeper in the Kuiper
belt
this initiated close scrutiny of Pluto
and the definition of a planet the
International Astronomical Union
evaluated Pluto based on the
characteristics necessary to be a true
planet
it must orbit the Sun is not a moon and
has enough mass and gravitational pull
to assume a round shape however it was
the fourth characteristic that
compromised Pluto’s status its inability
to clear its orbit of debris so Pluto
was reclassified and arguably demoted
from being a true planet to a dwarf
planet Pluto story represents our
evolving understanding of the universe
there is always more to discover and we
are continuously reaching toward it
[Music]
you
Pluto pushes the boundaries of our
understanding of the universe nestled
within the far-flung Kuiper belt the
dwarf planet is believed to be one of
countless celestial objects left over
from the formation of the solar system
while it is one of the Kuiper belts
largest bodies Pluto is only half as
wide as the contiguous United States and
about two-thirds the size of Earth’s
moon making it easily dwarfed by the
solar system’s eighth true planets this
tiny world takes 248 earth years to
orbit the Sun and it does so from an
average distance of over 3.6 billion
miles or 40 times the space between
Earth and the Sun such a distance from
the solar system’s main source of heat
causes extreme temperatures on the dwarf
planet surface between negative 375 and
negative 400 degrees Fahrenheit the
frigid temperatures play a crucial role
in shaping the geological composition of
Pluto its core likely made of rock and
metals is encapsulated by a mantle made
of ice the dwarf planet crust is made of
rock material and other types of ice
such as frozen carbon monoxide methane
and nitrogen these frozen gases cover
Pluto’s approximately 6.4 million square
miles of surface area which is barely
the size of Russia the icy terrain is
much like Earth’s with polar ice caps
valleys planes and craters it even has
glaciers made of frozen nitrogen and
frozen water on the surface makes giant
floating mountains
such varied terrain is influenced by the
presence of weather patterns or an
atmosphere Pluto’s atmosphere is thin
and reaches a high altitude due to the
dwarf planets low gravity which is only
about 6% as strong as Earth’s the
atmosphere is comprised of nitrogen and
methane gases plus red hydrocarbon
particles that scatter sunlight to give
Pluto blue skies parts of the atmosphere
may even freeze and fall like snow
floating high above the dwarf planet’s
atmosphere are five moons the largest
Charon is about half the size of Pluto
the four other moons Nix Hydra Kerberos
and Styx are much smaller while the a
true planets were discovered by the
mid-1800s Pluto was not spotted until
1930 Pluto named after the Roman god of
the underworld was considered the ninth
planet but in 2006 Pluto lost the status
at the time worlds similar to Pluto were
being discovered deeper in the Kuiper
belt
this initiated close scrutiny of Pluto
and the definition of a planet the
International Astronomical Union
evaluated Pluto based on the
characteristics necessary to be a true
planet
it must orbit the Sun is not a moon and
has enough mass and gravitational pull
to assume a round shape however it was
the fourth characteristic that
compromised Pluto’s status its inability
to clear its orbit of debris so Pluto
was reclassified and arguably demoted
from being a true planet to a dwarf
planet Pluto story represents our
evolving understanding of the universe
there is always more to discover and we
are continuously reaching toward it
[Music]
you
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