Pluto
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Description: Argues that Pluto is the most important Kuiper Belt object, not the least important planet, based on its orbit and other properties. From astronomer Dave Jewitt, who studies comets and other primitive solar system bodies.
Dave Jewitt: Kuiper Belt: PLUTO Mostly as a result of occultations of background stars, and of so-called 'mutual events' in which Pluto and its large satellite Charon occult and eclipse each other, we know quite a lot. The key results are that the radius is 1150 km (with some uncertainty caused by effects in Pluto's weak atmosphere) and the density is 2030+/-60 kg/m^3. The mass is a miniscule 0.002 Earth masses. The density (about twice that of ice) shows that Pluto has a significant rock component. Depending on what kind of rock that might be, the rock/(ice + rock) ratio is of order 0.6, which means that 2/3rds of the mass of Pluto is in ice. It is very likely that Pluto is differentiated, with a rock sludge core and a more pure ice mantle. Some models suggest a liquid water ocean at some depths, for some times.
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| Page title: | Dave Jewitt: Kuiper Belt: PLUTO |
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| IP-address: | 128.97.31.199 |
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| NS | Name Servers: NS1.DNS.UCLA.EDU 192.35.225.7, 2607:f010:3fe:12::ff:fe01:35 NS2.DNS.UCLA.EDU 192.12.234.140, 2607:f140::e000:0:ff:fe01:35 |
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| Date | activated: 24-Apr-1985 last updated: 02-May-2011 expires: 31-Jul-2014 |