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Pluto is the ninth planet of the Solar system and the
furthest from the Sun at an average distance of 5.9
billion kilometres. At its closest Pluto is almost 4.3 billion kilometres from the Earth. Pluto revolves around the Sun once every 248 years and
takes 6.4 days to rotate once about its own axis. Its atmosphere is made up mostly
of nitrogen and methane and a number of other, unknown elements.
The average surface temperature on Pluto is approximately -233 degrees
centigrade. Pluto has only one discovered satellite, Charon, about which very little
is known. Observations by the Hubble Space Telescope suggest
that Charon, although only slightly smaller than Pluto, is much bluer than the main
planet.
Pluto's orbit is so unusual that at times it comes closer to the Sun
than Neptune. However, there is no possibility of the two
planets ever colliding.
Pluto is so far distant that it is visible only through very powerful telescopes.
When viewed in this way it appears to have a yellowish colour. A bright highlight on
images of Pluto suggest that it has a smooth reflective surface layer. |
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