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Pluto

134340 Pluto

Proper NamePluto
Minor Planet Designation134340 Pluto
Provisional DesignationNot applicable
Orbital Period249 years
90,777.6 days
Mean Distance from the Sun5,913.49 million km
39.5 AU
Rotation Period6d 9h 18m
Diameter2,370 km
Mean Surface Temperature53 K (-220°C)
MoonsCharon, Hydra, Kerberos, Nix, Styx
Parent starThe Sun, yellow dwarf star
Other planets in this systemMercury, terrestrial planet
Venus, terrestrial planet
Earth, terrestrial planet
Mars, terrestrial planet
Jupiter, gas giant
Saturn, gas giant
Uranus, ice giant
Neptune, ice giant
Numerous dwarf planets, asteroids and other bodies
NotesThe largest of a group of objects orbiting the Sun beyond Neptune, and sharing a specific resonance with Neptune's own orbit. These objects are known as plutinos after their largest and best-known member.
Illustration of Pluto

Frosted with methane ice, tiny Pluto lies so far out in the depths of the Solar System that Sunlight takes more than four hours to reach it.

Size Comparison of Pluto

Pluto's diameter is just 2,370km, which is less than a fifth that of Earth. In fact, the planet Pluto is smaller than many of the Solar System's moons, including Earth's.

Use the scrollbar on the right of this window to explore the moons of Pluto, shown to scale. (Values shown are mean distances from Pluto).

The distant member of the Sun's family, Pluto pursues a wildly eccentric orbit, sometimes even coming nearer to the Sun than Neptune.

Pluto and Charon

The view from Pluto of its snowball moon, Charon. Compared to its parent planet, Charon is huge - more than half Pluto's diameter - and for this reason Pluto is sometimes referred to as a 'double planet'.

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