Pluto 101
Pluto is one of the most mysterious and controversial celestial objects in the solar system. Find out what most mystifies scientists and stargazers about this dwarf planet.
One year ago today, humanity got its first close look at a world that has managed to command the passions of Earthlings from billions of miles away.
On July 14, 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft swept up close to Pluto, giving us our first close look at the tiny icy world since its discovery in 1930.
It took all of three minutes for the spacecraft to cross the dwarf planet’s heart-stained face, but it spent much longer sailing through the entire system and staring at Pluto, its huge moon Charon, and the four small moons Styx, Nix, Hydra, and Kerberos.
The data it gathered during that fleeting encounter continue to surprise and mystify scientists, just as Pluto continues to be as
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