Pluto VS rest of the Solar System
Pluto is a dwarf planet within the solar system. It is located beyond Neptune, in the Kuiper belt.In 2006, Pluto had been demoted to being a dwarf planet. The reason for that is because it is quite small. In fact, it is smaller than seven of the moons in our solar system, including Earth’s Moon. Visually, it is only half the size of the United States of America, yet it is the largest dwarf planet in our solar system. However, largest does not equate to most massive, as it is only the second most massive, with Eris being the most massive.
Pluto’s surface is covered two-thirds by rock, and one-third by water. In fact, at times the dwarf planet also has an atmosphere and it rains. When Pluto is closest to the Sun during its orbit, the ice on its surface thaws and forms a thin atmosphere mainly of nitrogen. It also contains a thin methane haze about 161 kilometers above the surface. When this haze is hit by sunlight, the molecules get converted into hydrocarbons that fall to the ground and coat the ice with a dark covering. As Pluto travels away from the Sun, this temporary atmosphere then freezes back to its solid state.
Pluto and Earth
Earth has only one moon, named Moon or less commonly Luna, whereas Pluto has 5: Charon, Hydra, Nix, Kerberos, and Styx. Also, Pluto is only about 18.5% the size of Earth and its orbit lasts 248 years, whereas earth’s orbit is 365.26 days. Earth’s orbit is elliptical with the sun in the center and Pluto’s orbit is oval shaped and does not have the sun in its center. Pluto is also located much farther from the Sun, then the Earth; which is why it is mostly frozen, unlike Earth.
Pluto's atmosphere has an extended reach. Data collected by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft reveals that the gas surrounding the dwarf planet extends as far as 1,000 miles outward into space. That's more than 13 times farther than Earth's atmosphere, which tapers off at around 75 miles above our planet's surface.
At the highest altitudes, the atmosphere is comprised mostly of molecular nitrogen. Closer to the planet, methane mixes in with the nitrogen, followed by the hydrocarbons at the lowest altitudes. A significant portion of this gaseous mixture is also escaping out into space - around 500 tons of material per hour.
Is Pluto always farthest from the Sun?
Pluto is so far away from the Sun that it takes 248 years just to orbit it once! But Pluto’s orbit is a funny shape. For 20 years of its orbit, pluto dips in closer to the sun than neptune. When this happens, Neptune is the farthest planet in the Solar System.
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