Pluto was named after the Roman god of the underworld. It was re-classified and is now considered a dwarf planet or Plutoid, a large trans-Neptunian body in the Kuiper belt. The Kuiper belt is the region of the solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune, at a distance of 30 to 50 astronomical units from the Sun. Pluto is actually smaller than seven of the moons in the solar system: our Moon, Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Titan and Triton. Pluto's official designation is now 134340 Pluto in the IAU's minor planet catalog. Pluto was demoted from major planet status when it was realized that there were several other objects that were as large, or larger, than Pluto in the Kuiper belt. Pluto was also a small and rocky body with low mass, unlike the other gas and ice giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in the outer solar system. Other dwarf planets currently recognized officially by the IAU are Ceres, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris. | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Lodriguss, Gerard |
Taille de l’image : | 3825 px × 2550 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |