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Pluto Facts & Worksheets

Pluto is a dwarf planet found in the Kuiper Belt.

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A dwarf planet and a donut-shaped region beyond Neptune‘s orbit, Pluto, comprises frozen planets. It is also found in the Kuiper Belt. In our solar system’s furthest reaches, millions of these ice objects might be known as Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) or trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs).

See the fact file below for more information on Pluto or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Pluto worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

OVERVIEW

  • Pluto’s world is diverse and intriguing, with mountains, valleys, plains, craters, and maybe ice. Pluto, discovered in 1930, was long thought to be our solar system‘s eighth planet. However, after finding several fascinating planets farther in the Kuiper Belt, cold Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet.
  • Pluto has a circumference of around 1,400 miles and is almost half the width of the United States at that size. It is located about 3.6 billion miles from the Sun and has a thin atmosphere composed primarily of nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide. Pluto’s average temperature is -387°F (-232°C), making it too cold for life to exist.
  • Five known moons orbit Pluto, the biggest of which is Charon. Charon is nearly half the extent of Pluto, making it the most extensive satellite in our solar system about the planet it circles. Pluto and Charon are frequently referred to as “dual planets.”
  • Pluto, smaller than the moon, is home to a heart-shaped glacier the size of Texas and Oklahoma. This fascinating world boasts azure skies, whirling moons, mountains as tall as the Rockies, and snow – but it’s red snow.
  • NASA‘s New Horizons probe sailed through the Pluto system for the first time on July 14, 2015, delivering the first close-up photographs of Pluto and its moons and other data that has transformed our understanding of these bizarre worlds on the boundaries of the solar system.

NAMESAKE

  • Pluto is the only (so far) world named after an 11-year-old girl. In 1930, Venetia Burney of Oxford, England, recommended to her grandfather that the discovery be named after the Roman god of the afterlife. He submitted the name to the Lowell Observatory and chose it. Pluto’s satellites are named after legendary beings from the underworld. 

FORMATION

  • Pluto is a constituent of the Kuiper Belt, a collection of objects that travel in a disc-like zone beyond Neptune’s orbit. 
  • This remote region is home to hundreds of little frozen worlds that formed early in our solar system’s presence, some 4.5 billion years ago. Kuiper Belt objects, transneptunian objects, or plutoids are the names given to these frozen, stony bodies.

STRUCTURE

  • Pluto is two-thirds the size of the moon and is thought to have a rocky core covered by a layer of aqueous ice. Surface ice of interest includes methane and nitrogen frost. Pluto’s mass is roughly one-sixth that of Earth‘s Moon due to its lower viscosity.

SURFACE

  • The surface of Pluto is made up of hills, valleys, plains, and craters. Pluto’s temperature ranges from -375 to -400 degrees Fahrenheit (-226 to -240 degrees Celsius).
  • Pluto’s highest mountains range from PKK to 9,800 feet (2 to 3 kilometers). The hills are massive slabs of water ice, often covered in frozen gases like methane. Long troughs and valleys of up to 370 miles (600 kilometers) in length contribute to the intriguing characteristics of this distant dwarf planet.
  • Some craters on Pluto are as enormous as 162 miles (260 kilometers) in diameter, with some displaying evidence of erosion and filling. This indicates that tectonic forces are gradually resurfacing Pluto.
  • The most notable plains spotted on Pluto appear to be formed of frozen nitrogen gas and display no craters. These plains do have features that imply convection (blobs of material circulating up and down).

SIZE AND DISTANCE

  • Pluto has a radius of 715 miles (1,151 kilometers), roughly one-sixth Earth’s breadth. Pluto would be approximately the size of a popcorn kernel if Earth were a nickel.
  • Pluto is 39 astronomical units distant from the Sun, at a distance of 3.7 billion miles (5.9 billion kilometers). The distance between the Sun and Earth is measured in astronomical units (abbreviated as AU). It takes 5.5 hours for sunlight to travel from the Sun to Pluto at this distance.
  • If you stood on Pluto’s surface at midday, the Sun would be 1/900 the brightness it is here on Earth, or nearly 300 times brighter than our full moon. Every day, towards sunset here on Earth, the light is the same brightness as noon on Pluto. Find out when “Pluto time” is available in your area.

ORBIT AND ROTATION

  • Pluto’s orbit around the Sun is uncommon among planets since it is both elliptical and inclined. 
  • Pluto’s oval-shaped orbit, which lasts 248 years, may take it as far as 49.3 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun and as near as 30 AU. However, Pluto is, on average, 3.7 billion miles (5.9 billion kilometers) distant from the Sun, or 39 AU.
  • Pluto was approaching perihelion, closest to the Sun, from 1979 to 1999. Pluto was more relative to the Sun than Neptune at the time.
  • A day on Pluto lasts around 153 hours. It spins practically on its side because its axis of rotation is tilted 57 degrees concerning the plane of its trajectory near the Sun. Like Venus and Uranus, Pluto has a retrograde cycle, revolving from east to west.

MOONS AND RINGS

  • Pluto is known to contain five moons: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos, and Styx. This moon system might have originated due to a collision between Pluto and another similar-sized planet early in the solar system’s history.
  • Charon, Pluto’s largest moon, is almost half the size of Pluto, making it the largest satellite in our solar system. It travels only 12,200 miles around Pluto (19,640 kilometers). 
  • Our moon is 20 times further away from Earth. Pluto and Charon are frequently referred to as a pair of planets.
  • The orbit of Charon around Pluto takes 153 hours, which is the same amount of time it takes Pluto to complete one spin. It means that Charon neither rises nor sets but instead hovers over the exact location on Pluto’s surface. The same side of Charon constantly faces Pluto, a condition known as tidal locking.
  • Pluto’s four moons are substantially smaller, with diameters less than 100 miles (160 kilometers). They’re also uneven in form, like Charon. Unlike many solar systems, these moons are not tidally bound to Pluto.
  • There are no confirmed rings in the vicinity of Pluto.

ATMOSPHERE

  • Pluto has a thin, fragile atmosphere that expands as it gets nearer to the Sun and contracts as it gets distant away, much like a comet. The predominant ingredient is molecular nitrogen. However, methane and carbon monoxide molecules have also been found.
  • When Pluto approaches the Sun, its surface ices sublimate (transform straight from solid to gas) and rise, forming a thin atmosphere. Pluto’s low gravity (approximately 6% that of Earth) causes its atmosphere to be significantly higher in height than our planet. Pluto is substantially colder during the time of the year when it is furthest from the Sun. During this moment, most of the planet’s atmosphere may solidify and fall to the surface as snow.

MAGNETOSPHERE

  • Pluto’s magnetic field is unknown, although its small size and sluggish spin imply that it possesses little or none.

POTENTIAL FOR LIFE

  • Pluto’s surface is exceedingly frigid, making it appear implausible that life could survive there. Water, essential for life as we know it, becomes rock-like at such low temperatures. However, Pluto’s interior is warmer, and some believe there may even be an ocean deep.

Pluto Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Pluto across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Pluto worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Pluto, which is a dwarf planet found in the Kuiper Belt. In our solar system’s furthest reaches, millions of these ice objects might be known as Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) or trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs).

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Centuries-long Orbit
  • Plu-tatistics
  • God of the Underworld
  • Five Moons
  • The 85-Year Journey
  • Kuiper Neighbors
  • Beyond Horizon
  • Mapping Pluto
  • Planetary Qualities
  • The Dwarf Planet

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pluto?

A dwarf planet and a donut-shaped region beyond Neptune’s orbit, Pluto, comprises frozen planets. It is also found in the Kuiper Belt. In our solar system’s furthest reaches, millions of these ice objects might be known as Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) or trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs).

Is Pluto considered a planet in our solar system?

Pluto, discovered in 1930, was long thought to be our solar system’s eighth planet. However, after finding several fascinating planets farther in the Kuiper Belt, cold Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet.

What is the largest moon of Pluto?

Charon, Pluto’s largest moon, is almost half the size of Pluto, making it the largest satellite in our solar system. It travels only 12,200 miles around Pluto (19,640 kilometers). 

What happens to Pluto’s atmosphere when it nears the Sun?

When Pluto approaches the Sun, its surface ices sublimate (transform straight from solid to gas) and rise, forming a thin atmosphere. Pluto’s low gravity (approximately 6% that of Earth) causes its atmosphere to be significantly higher in height than our planet. Pluto is substantially colder during the time of the year when it is furthest from the Sun. During this moment, most of the planet’s atmosphere may solidify and fall to the surface as snow.

Is it possible to live in Pluto?

Pluto’s surface is exceedingly frigid, making it appear implausible that life could survive there. Water, essential for life as we know it, becomes rock-like at such low temperatures. However, Pluto’s interior is warmer, and some believe there may even be an ocean deep.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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