Pluto, once considered the ninth planet in our solar system, is now classified as a dwarf planet. Located in the Kuiper Belt, it orbits the Sun every 248 Earth years.
• Size and Composition: Pluto has a diameter of about 2,377 kilometers (1,477 miles), making it smaller than Earth's Moon. It's composed mainly of ice and rock, with a surface that features plains, mountains, and a range of colors due to its varying surface compositions.
• Atmosphere: Pluto has a thin atmosphere primarily made up of nitrogen, with traces of methane and carbon monoxide. The atmosphere expands and contracts as Pluto moves closer to or farther from the Sun.
• Moons: Pluto has five known moons. Charon, the largest, is about half the size of Pluto and is so large that Pluto and Charon are sometimes referred to as a double dwarf planet system. The other moons are Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra.
• Exploration: Pluto was visited by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015, providing detailed images and data about its surface, moons, and atmosphere.