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Orbit: 5,913,520,000 km (39.5 AU) from the Sun (average)
Diameter: 2274 km
Mass: 1.27e22 kg
Pluto is tilted 122.5 degrees on its axis. It has an extreme elliptical orbit. Because of the shape of Pluto's orbit, it actually slips inside of Neptune's orbit once every 248 Earth years for a period of twenty years.
Pluto's orbit is highly eccentric. At times it is closer to the Sun than Neptune (it has been so since January 1979 and will continue until February 1999). Pluto rotates in the opposite direction from most of the other planets.
Pluto has one natural satellite, Charon, which is half the size of Pluto. Because Pluto and Charon are comparable in size, many scientists consider them to be a double planet (but many scientists don't consider Pluto a planet at all!).
Pluto's atmosphere appears to extend out to include Charon, which suggests that they may share an atmosphere.
During the time in its orbit when Pluto is farthest from the Sun, its atmosphere condenses and falls to the surface as frost.
Little
is known about Pluto's atmosphere, but it probably consists primarily of
nitrogen with some carbon monoxide and
methane.
Answer
the following questions on your think sheet as you do your research.
1. Why do some people call Pluto a double planet?
2. How many moons does Pluto have?
3. What is different about the orbit of Pluto? Is it always the furtherest from the Sun?
4. How
was Pluto discovered?
Rotating
Pluto Animation (movie)
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