Pluto Has Been DemotedPluto Has Been Demoted

Created by: Created by:

Morgan BlantonMorgan Blanton

Not Walt Disney’s Pluto!Not Walt Disney’s Pluto!

The Dwarf Planet named Pluto!The Dwarf Planet named Pluto!

Guess the Covered Word Guess the Covered Word Reading StrategyReading Strategy

StartStart Where is the word? Beginning, middle, or end of the Where is the word? Beginning, middle, or end of the

sentence? What about grammatical cues?sentence? What about grammatical cues? ThinkThink

What makes sense?What makes sense? LookLook

How long is the word?How long is the word? ListenListen

Letters, suffixes, prefixes, syllables known “little Letters, suffixes, prefixes, syllables known “little words”words”

Pluto used to be considered one of the nine planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus,

Earth, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and little Pluto. As of 2006, after a vote of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), it is now considered a dwarf planet instead of a

regular planet like Earth, Mars, and the others. This seems like a demotion from a “big” planet to a “little” planet, but scientist are just trying to

put it in a category with other similar space objects.

This used to be our solar system…This used to be our solar system…

Now it is divided like this…Now it is divided like this…

Pluto’s AtmospherePluto’s Atmosphere

Its atmosphere is not like ours, but it does Its atmosphere is not like ours, but it does have a thin one. It is made up of nitrogen, have a thin one. It is made up of nitrogen, methanemethane, and carbon dioxide. During its , and carbon dioxide. During its

orbit around the sun, its atmosphere goes orbit around the sun, its atmosphere goes through a freezing and evaporating through a freezing and evaporating cyclecycle. .

When it is far away from the Sun, its When it is far away from the Sun, its atmosphere gets so cold that it freezes onto atmosphere gets so cold that it freezes onto Pluto’s Pluto’s surfacesurface. When it orbits closer to the . When it orbits closer to the

Sun, the atmosphere warms up and Sun, the atmosphere warms up and evaporates again, evaporates again, formingforming a gas around it. a gas around it.

Pluto’s MoonsPluto’s Moons

Pluto has three moons. Earth only has one. Pluto has three moons. Earth only has one. Pluto’s moons are named Charon, Nix, Pluto’s moons are named Charon, Nix,

and Hydra. Charon is the biggest one and and Hydra. Charon is the biggest one and is half the size of Pluto. A moon is a is half the size of Pluto. A moon is a natural natural satellitesatellite in space that orbits in space that orbits

around the planet. Some around the planet. Some planetsplanets have have only one moon and others have sixty or only one moon and others have sixty or

more!more!

Cluttered OrbitCluttered Orbit

One reason Pluto was “demoted” to dwarf One reason Pluto was “demoted” to dwarf planet planet statusstatus is because it has not is because it has not

“cleared its orbit” of large debris. If added “cleared its orbit” of large debris. If added all together, all of the “stuff” in its orbit all together, all of the “stuff” in its orbit

would be bigger than Pluto. In would be bigger than Pluto. In comparisoncomparison, Earth’s orbit does not have , Earth’s orbit does not have

as much large debris. If you could as much large debris. If you could compilecompile all of the debris in Earth’s orbit, all of the debris in Earth’s orbit,

Earth would still be 1.5 million times Earth would still be 1.5 million times largerlarger..

Named after WHO?Named after WHO?

Pluto was named after the Roman god of Pluto was named after the Roman god of the underworld. Charon, its moon, was the underworld. Charon, its moon, was

named after the named after the ferrymanferryman in the in the underworld that took souls across the river underworld that took souls across the river Styx. Pluto was actually named Planet X Styx. Pluto was actually named Planet X

at first, but the at first, but the discoverersdiscoverers needed to needed to come up with a more permanent name. come up with a more permanent name. An eleven year old An eleven year old girlgirl suggested the suggested the

name Pluto, because she said that it was name Pluto, because she said that it was dark and cold like the underworld in dark and cold like the underworld in

Roman mythology.Roman mythology.

Pluto and Neptune switch-a-rooPluto and Neptune switch-a-roo

Pluto is a long distance from the Sun. It Pluto is a long distance from the Sun. It takes it almost 248 years to takes it almost 248 years to revolverevolve

around it, but in only takes Earth one year. around it, but in only takes Earth one year. It is located behind Neptune in relation to It is located behind Neptune in relation to

the Sun. However, its orbit looks like a the Sun. However, its orbit looks like a tiltedtilted oval, and there is part of it that oval, and there is part of it that

actually crosses inside Neptune’s orbit. actually crosses inside Neptune’s orbit. During this time, Pluto is closer to the sun During this time, Pluto is closer to the sun than Neptune. This happened in 1979 and than Neptune. This happened in 1979 and again in 1999. It will happen another time again in 1999. It will happen another time

in a couple in a couple hundredhundred years! years!

Look at that orbit!Look at that orbit!

Pluto is SmallPluto is Small

Pluto is Pluto is smallersmaller than all of the planets. It is than all of the planets. It is even smaller than some of the other even smaller than some of the other

planet’s moons! Seven moons are larger planet’s moons! Seven moons are larger than Pluto. It is the second than Pluto. It is the second largestlargest dwarf dwarf

planet.planet.

Pluto… here we come!Pluto… here we come!

NASA’s New Horizon NASA’s New Horizon spacecraftspacecraft is traveling is traveling to Pluto right now. It to Pluto right now. It launchedlaunched in 2005 in 2005 and is expected to get there in 2015. and is expected to get there in 2015.

Hopefully after the Hopefully after the explorationexploration, we will , we will know even more about the interesting know even more about the interesting

dwarfdwarf planet we call Pluto. planet we call Pluto.

ReferencesReferences

Universe Today Universe Today Interesting Facts About Pluto by Fraser CainInteresting Facts About Pluto by Fraser CainAccessed on October 15, 2009Accessed on October 15, 2009http://www.universetoday.com/guide-to-space/http://www.universetoday.com/guide-to-space/

pluto/interesting-facts-about-pluto/pluto/interesting-facts-about-pluto/