Pluto might not be a planet anymore, but it still is fascinating.
Despite no longer being a planet, Pluto is still loved by millions around the world. And, for a good reason, it is a fascinating object.
With a surface covered with mountains, valleys, plains, craters, and perhaps even glaciers, Pluto would certainly be a fascinating place to visit. First officially discovered in the early-1930s, it has fascinated scientists and the general public ever since.
Let's take a closer look at this former planet at the edge of our Solar System.
What is unique about the dwarf planet Pluto?
Since it received its new status of a "dwarf planet," Pluto can console itself with finally being the largest of something in the Solar System. Due to its proximity to the Kuiper Belt, it can claim the title of being the largest body in the belt.
The Kuiper belt, in case you are unaware, is a shadowy zone beyond Neptune that is populated with hundreds of thousands or millions of rocky and icy chunks as large or larger than 62 miles (100 kilometers) across. It is also a rich source of comets.
Pluto was one of the last large celestial bodies discovered in our Solar System. The first tantalizing evidence of the existence of Pluto was observed by the American astronomer Percival Lowell in 1905.
He noticed that something strange was going on with the orbits of Neptune and Uranus, and suggested that there must be a large body beyond Neptune tugging (gravitationally) on the other two and affecting their orbits.
After further research, Lowell predicted the mystery planet's location in 1915 but sadly died without ever actually finding it. Pluto was finally discovered in 1930 by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory, based on predictions by Lowell and other astronomers.
Can a human live on Pluto?
Basically no, at least not yet.
But, even if we could develop the technology to set up an outpost there, should we even bother? Its surface is pretty much constantly frozen solid, and there is nothing to eat there.
You'd have a hard time actually growing stuff too without using synthetic facilities. Long-term survival there would likely require constant support from elsewhere in the Solar System, like mother Earth.
Pluto is so small and far from the sun that terraforming it would be completely out of the question.
You'd also get pretty lonely too. You couldn't just "call home" on a whim.
Since Pluto is so far from Earth, messages using our existing technology would take at least 4.6 hours each way. When Pluto is at its furthest point from the Earth, this could be extended to as much as 6.5 hours.
There are some bonuses though. It perhaps wouldn't take too long to explore the entire surface, which is roughly the surface area of Russia. Gravity on the planet is also pretty light, coming it at about one-fifthteenth of that on Earth.
This would mean that if you weighed 150 lbs. (68 kg) on Earth, you would weigh about 10 lbs. (4.5 kilograms) on Pluto.
So, if you looking for a "quick fix" to shed some pounds, then a move to Pluto might be an option?
What are some interesting facts about the former planet Pluto?
So, you are after yet more facts about this diminutive former planet? Well then, considered yourself well catered for.
Read on to get your fill.
1. Its demotion from planet status has not been popular
Perhaps the most commonly know fact about Pluto is its fairly recent reclassification from planet to "dwarf" planet. This occured in 2006, and was a decision widely considered by Pluto fans as a demotion, and frankly an insult (if planets had feeling, of course).
The decision was made by the International Astronomical Union who voted to make the definition of “planets” more specific.
According to the IAU, a celestial body can only be classified as a planet if it "(a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit."
Because Pluto has not "cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit," it could no longer be called a planet. What this means in practice, is that Pluto has not absorbed all of the asteroids, and other chunks of rock, that cohabit its orbital path around the Sun.
This decision caused alot of controversy at the time, and people still debate the decision to this very day.
But, a line needed to be drawn somewhere, and Pluto, on this occassion, sadly missed out. Plans are afoot to further redefine what makes something a planet, which would restore Pluto's status, but would also increase the count of planets in our Solar System into the hundreds.
We'll let you decide if that is a "cost" worth paying to restore Pluto as a planet.
Little was known about Pluto beyond its existence for many decades after its discovery. Since it is so far from Earth (4.67 billion miles/7.5 billion kilometers), it was very difficult to directly observe it's surface, nor could we accurately estimate Pluto's size. Read More...
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