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    New Horizons Spacecraft will travel back in time

    I was checking out an article about Pluto. I remember hearing how it was declassified as a planet a couple years back and wanted some more information. Here's the article. http://www.solarviews.com/eng/pluto.htm

    In the article it says :
    The New Horizons spacecraft was launched on January 16, 2006 and will make its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 1015.

    Here are some facts and/or quotes from the article:

    From its time of discovery in 1930 to 2006 Pluto was considered to be the ninth planet in the solar system, but because additional objects have been discovered including Eris which is 27% more massive, the IAU reclassified Pluto and the other objects as dwarf planets.

    Pluto's mass is approximately 0.0021 Earth mass, or a fifth of our moon.

    Pluto's diameter is 2,274 kilometers (1413 miles) and Charon's diameter (Pluto's moon) is 1,172 kilometers (728 miles).

    Pluto is usually farther from the Sun than any of the eight planets; however, due to the eccentricity of its orbit, it is closer than Neptune for 20 years out of its 249 year orbit. Pluto crossed Neptune's orbit January 21, 1979, made its closest approach September 5, 1989, and remained within the orbit of Neptune until February 11, 1999. This will not occur again until September 2226.

    Pluto was officially labeled the ninth planet by the International Astronomical Union in 1930 and named for the Roman god of the underworld. It was the first and only planet to be discovered by an American, Clyde W. Tombaugh. It has since been reclassified as a Dwarf Planet along with Eris and Ceres.

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    If Pluto was still considered a planet then we would now have at least 10 planets in our solar system since Eris is both more voluminous and massive than Pluto.
    Last edited by EntityX; Aug 8th, 2008 at 04:09 PM.
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