13 facts about Pluto

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

What do you remember about Pluto from your high school astronomy course? What is this tiny planet far from the Sun? This guy, though small, is quite remarkable and deserves you to know a little more about him.

1. Pluto got its name from an eleven-year-old girl

When scientists discovered Pluto in 1930, they held a competition to name the new planet. Proposals came from all over the world. Eleven-year-old Venice Bernie from Oxford decided that the name of the god of the underworld from ancient Greek mythology, Pluto, would be suitable for a dark, distant planet.

Lowell Observatory voted for one of three names:

• Pluto;
• Minerva;
• Chronos (the name was suggested by one of the astronomers).

Venice Bernie received £ 5 for her victory, which in current money is roughly £ 300.

2. Monogram of Pluto - the first letters of the name of the astronomer

The astronomical symbol of Pluto - PL - the first letters of the name of the planet and the initials of the astronomer Percival Lowell, who predicted the existence of a dwarf in the outer reaches of the solar system due to the gravitational influence on Neptune and Uranus. Lowell Observatory is also named after the scientist.

3. In 2006 Pluto was demoted and officially became a dwarf planet # 134340

4. Pluto turned into a dwarf because of Eris

Pluto had planetary status for 76 years. But in 2005, scientists discovered Eris, which is 27% heavier than Pluto, despite being larger in volume. The discovery of Eris forced astronomers to reconsider the conditions under which the celestial body was assigned the status of a planet, and in 2006 Pluto became a dwarf.

5. Pluto has five moons

Charon, the largest of them, is about half that of Pluto, so they are often viewed as a binary system as their orbits interact. Other satellites are smaller, their names are Styx, Nikta, Kerber and Hydra.

6. Pluto is the only known planet with an atmosphere of nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide

It is toxic to humans and changes depending on how close Pluto is to the Sun. When it is closest to the Sun (at perihelion), the atmosphere becomes gas, and at the maximum distance (at aphelion) it turns into snow and settles on the planet's surface.

7. Pluto's orbit is very eccentric, so sometimes it is closer to the Sun than Neptune

Pluto was last "inside" Neptune's orbit in 1999.

8. Pluto has an underground ocean with frozen water

Its depth is from 100 to 180 kilometers. This means that there is three times more water on a dwarf than on Earth. The remaining 2/3 of the planet consists of solid rocks and frozen nitrogen.

9. Pluto has the opposite direction of rotation, like Venus and Uranus

This means that it rotates in the direction opposite to the Earth: the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. Pluto makes a complete revolution in about a week.

10. The sun's rays reach the surface of Pluto in 5.5 hours

For comparison, they reach Earth in 8 minutes.

11. And this happens because Pluto is at a distance of 5, 9 billion km from the Sun, and the Earth - at a distance of 149, 6 million km

Can Pluto be seen from Earth? Can you see a nut that is 50 km away?

12. When Pluto became a dwarf in 2006, the American Dialectological Society named the verb "plutonize" as the new word of the year

"Plutonize" - to demote someone or something in rank or value.

13. Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto, became the first person to make interstellar travel after death

Tombaugh's ashes were placed in NASA's New Horizons robotic interplanetary station, which traveled to Pluto in 2006. A couple of months ago, the station flew past Pluto and sent incredible photos to Earth. Further, through the Kuiper Belt, she will travel to intergalactic space in the hope of discovering life outside the solar system.

On the capsule with the ashes of Tombaugh, the inscription is carved: “Clyde William Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto and the third zone of the solar system, is buried here. Son of Adele and Meron, husband of Patricia, father of Annette and Alden. Astronomer, teacher, wit and friend. 1906-1997.