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Rocky
planet
---
Diameter:
1400 miles
Rotation:
6 days
Orbit:
248 years
Temperature average: -223 C
Moons: 1
Number
from the sun: 9
Distance
from the sun: 3670 million miles.
Atmosphere: Thin methane
Pluto was discovered in
1930 by Clyde Tombaugh. Astronomers knew there was a ninth planet, but they had
a hard time finding it because it was so far away from the Earth. Once Tombaugh
found the planet, people suggested names. A little girl suggested Pluto. Pluto
was the Roman god of the dead, and he ruled over the underworld, which was cold
and dark. The people who discovered Pluto liked the name because it was in a
dark, cold place very far away from the Sun. Pluto is 3 billion, 660 million
miles from the Sun! A year on Pluto is equal to 248 years on earth. One day on
Pluto equals six days on earth. Pluto is the smallest planet. Its diameter is
1,400 miles. It is smaller than our Moon!
We
don't know much about Pluto's surface. It looks like it is made of ice. We
believe this ice is frozen gas and water. Its temperature is around –350 degrees
Fahrenheit. Pluto has one moon, Charon.
Think about it: Why
is Pluto a cold, dark planet?
To learn more about
Pluto, visit this site:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/pluto/
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