Pluto is a complex and mysterious world with mountains, valleys, plains, craters, and glaciers. It is located in the distant Kuiper Belt. Discovered in 1930, Pluto was long considered our solar system's ninth planet.
But after the discovery of similar worlds deeper in the Kuiper Belt, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union. According to the. Pluto was once considered the ninth planet in the solar system, it was demoted in 2006 to dwarf planet status.
We explore this icy body in more detail here. Discovered in 1930, Pluto is the second closest dwarf planet to the Sun and was at one point classified as the ninth planet. Pluto is.
Pluto, large, distant member of the solar system that formerly was regarded as the outermost and smallest planet. In 2006 a group of experts in the scientific community voted to give Pluto the new classification of dwarf planet. about Pluto in this article.
Pluto, along with it's largest moon Charon, are considered a double dwarf planetary system, and is sometimes referred to as the Pluto-Charon system. Charon is 51% the size of Pluto. Pluto's surface consists of 98% nitrogen ice with ice mountains, ice volcanoes, and has a thin atmosphere consisting of nitrogen and trace gases.
List of geological features on Pluto A map of Pluto showing the names officially approved by the IAU as of 12 February 2025, along with many informal names in bold and italics. This is a list of named geological features on Pluto, identified by scientists working with data from the New Horizons spacecraft. Pluto features a heart-shaped area on its surface known as Tombaugh Regio.
The dwarf planet has five known moons, with Charon being the largest at half Pluto's diameter. Pluto's orbit is eccentric, ranging from 30 to 49 astronomical units from the Sun, and it completes one orbit every 248 Earth years. Interested in learning about Pluto characteristics? Dive into this article to discover the extraordinary features that make this dwarf planet special.
Preferred Language English (US) Accessibility Overview Streaming features are available on Pluto TV Enable/Disable Mobile Push Notifications View All How to Manage Your Watch List. Get Pluto facts. Learn about the dwarf planet, which was once considered the ninth planet of the solar system.