Pluto

                               Pluto

Pluto was discoverd in 1930 by an American scientist Clyde W. Tombaugh. Since then Pluko was considered a peculiar planet. The innermost core of ice and rock is covered by an icy mantle. The surface is covered with frozen methane and icy water. Pluto has a satellite called Charon which has half the size of its mother body. Pluto rotates in synchrony with the orbit of Charon and so they continuously face each other. Pluto takes 248 years to orbit around the Sun. Within this period, due to the gravitational pull of Neptune it goes into the orbital space of Neptune for about 20 years. Also, Puto shares its space in the outer Solar System with its satellite Charon and some other heavenly bodies like Xena and its satellite Gabriella.

                     Probe to Pluto

A spacecraft, New Horizons has been launched on January 19, 2006 to collect more details about Pluto. The New Horizons is supposed to reach the destination in July 2015.

                              Pluto 

Distance from the sun in km.: 59001 million Diameter at equator in km.: 2300

Mass with respect to the earth: 0.002 (earth=1)

Gravity with respect to the earth: 0.07 

Period of revolution: 248 earth years

Period of rotation: About 6 earth days 

Density (g/cm³): 2.03

Temperature: -233to -223°C 

Satellites: 1