Pluto
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Pluto was the Roman equivalent of the Greek god, Hades, ruler of the underworld. After many other suggestions and much debate, this name was given partly due to its distance from the sun, which keeps it perpetually in the dark, and partly because "PL" are the initials of Percival Lowell, the man who theorized its existence and whose laboratory its discoverer, Clyde W. Tombaugh worked. Pluto is the most recent planet in the solar system to be detected (1930). The ninth planet from the sun (usually), Pluto's composition is unknown. Its density indicates that it is probably a mixture of 70% rock and 30% water ice much like Triton. We also know very little about Pluto's atmosphere, but it probably consists primarily of nitrogen with some carbon monoxide and methane. It revolves about the Sun once in 247.7 Earth years at an average distance of 5.91 billion km (3.67 billion mi). Its orbit is so eccentric that it brings Pluto inside the orbital path of Neptune. Its rotation is reverse that of other planets. Pluto is about 2,360 km (1,475 mi) in diameter. Pluto has one satellite, Charon, which is about 1200km (750ml) in diameter, making the pair the closest in size of any planet/moon combination. |
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