Small (smaller than our Moon) and icy – an outer planet, but not Jovian in composition (a puzzle!)
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Outer planet Pluto, with potential cliffs, craters and other surface features labeled (right). [NASA/NH] |
Erratic orbit, very elliptical, and inclined 17 degrees from the orbital plane
Cold atmosphere (even nitrogen is frozen solid)
Charon: single moon, half as large as Pluto
Could Pluto be an escaped moon of Neptune?
Could Pluto be a leftover building block for planets, that was never assimilated?
Are Pluto and Charon planet and moon, or two trapped planetesimals (building blocks)?
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Outer planet Pluto and its largest moon Charon (left). [NASA/NH] |