9 Things You Didn’t Know About Pluto

As the New Horizons spacecraft concludes its flyby, learn about how Pluto was named—and why it still won’t be considered a planet.

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made its closest pass by Pluto on Tuesday morning after a 9-and-a-half-year, 3-billion-mile journey through the solar system. Tucked in a distant corner of the universe, Pluto was an enigma since its discovery 85 years ago.

As we greet Pluto for the first time, here are some things you might not know about the former ninth planet:

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