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Monday, July 13, 2015

Pluto - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia





















https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto:  Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is the largest known object in the Kuiper belt,[13][h][i] the second-most massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most massive known body directly orbiting the Sun. It is the largest known trans-Neptunian object by volume but is less massive than scattered-disc dwarf planet Eris. Like other Kuiper belt objects, Pluto is primarily made of rock and ice[14] and is relatively small—about one-sixth the mass of the Moon and one-third its volume. It has a moderately eccentric and inclined orbit during which it ranges from 30 to 49 astronomical units (4.4–7.4 billion km) from the Sun. This means that Pluto periodically comes closer to the Sun than Neptune, though an orbital resonance with Neptune prevents them from colliding. In 2014, Pluto was 32.6 AU from the Sun. Light from the Sun takes about 5.5 hours to reach Pluto at its average distance (39.4 AU).[15]





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