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Pluto, a dwarf planet located in the Kuiper Belt, has long been a subject of fascination, especially regarding its size. In 2015, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft revealed that Pluto is smaller than Australia, with a diameter of approximately 2,370 km compared to Australia's width of about 4,000 km. This discovery sparked humorous debates about which of these two entities would prevail in a hypothetical battle. The comparison between Pluto and Australia highlights the dwarf planet's relatively small size, with Pluto being about half the width of the United States and having a surface area closer to that of Russia.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Pluto's Diameter | 2,370 km |
| Australia's Diameter | 4,000 km |
| Pluto's Surface Area | 17,700,000 km² |
| Australia's Surface Area | 7,692,000 km² |
| Pluto's Classification | Dwarf Planet |
| Australia's Classification | Oceanic Country |
| Pluto's Moons | Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos, and Styx |
| Pluto's Temperature | -387°F (-232°C) |
| Pluto's Distance from the Sun | 3.6-5.9 billion km |
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What You'll Learn
Pluto is smaller than Australia
The size of Pluto has long been a subject of debate and uncertainty. For decades, even basic information about its radius and mass was difficult to determine due to its distance from Earth. It was only with the arrival of the New Horizons spacecraft that accurate measurements and high-resolution images of Pluto were obtained, reducing the margin of error in previous estimates.
The small size of Pluto, along with its icy composition and anomalous orbital characteristics, led to its reclassification as a dwarf planet in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Pluto is located in the Trans-Neptunian region of our solar system, where other objects might cross its orbital path. Its orbit is more elongated and eccentric than any of the planetary orbits, and it is tilted at an angle of 17.1 degrees with respect to the ecliptic.
Despite its small size, Pluto exhibits some fascinating features. It has a thin atmosphere composed mainly of nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide, and its low gravity causes this atmosphere to extend much higher in altitude than that of Earth. Pluto also has five known moons, the largest of which is Charon, about half the size of Pluto itself, leading to their classification as a double planet or binary system.
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Pluto is a dwarf planet
Pluto is about 2,370 kilometres wide, which is smaller than Australia, which is about 4,000 kilometres wide. Pluto's low gravity, about 6% of Earth's, causes its atmosphere to be much more extended in altitude than the Earth's atmosphere. Its surface temperature is extremely cold, averaging -387°F (-232°C), and its atmosphere is composed mostly of nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide.
Pluto has five known moons: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos, and Styx. Charon, the largest of these moons, is about half the size of Pluto itself, and the two bodies are often referred to as a double planet or double system. Pluto's orbit around the Sun is tilted at 57 degrees, and it exhibits a retrograde rotation, spinning from east to west.
Pluto's reclassification as a dwarf planet has made it easier for astronomers and scientists to classify objects in space. It also reflects the realization that Pluto has more in common with the large icy moons of the outer planets than with any of the planets themselves.
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Pluto's orbit is unusual
Pluto is smaller than Australia. Australia measures about 4,000 km wide, while Pluto is only 2,370 km across.
Pluto's orbit is highly eccentric and inclined. It has an eccentricity of 0.25, which means its orbit is very stretched. To put this into perspective, the Earth has an eccentricity of 0.016, while Mercury, the worst offender among the planets, has an eccentricity of 0.2. Pluto's orbit is also inclined at 17 degrees to the ecliptic, which is the plane of the orbit of most of the planets in the solar system. In comparison, the Earth is only 1.5 degrees off.
Pluto's orbit is further destabilized by its resonance with Neptune. For every two orbits that Pluto makes around the Sun, Neptune makes three. This prevents close encounters that would otherwise destabilize their orbits. However, this resonance also means that Pluto spends 20 out of its 248-year orbit within the orbit of Neptune.
The stability of Pluto's orbit is also influenced by the gravitational pull of Jupiter and, to a lesser extent, Saturn. Jupiter's gravitational influence is enough to keep Pluto's orbit stable for at least 5 billion years.
Pluto's orbit is so unusual that astronomers are not sure how long it will remain in its present form. Some studies have suggested that Pluto may have been an escaped satellite of Neptune or that a catastrophic collision event could explain its origin.
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Pluto's size and orbit reclassification
Pluto is smaller than Australia. Australia measures about 4,000 kilometres wide, while Pluto is only 2,370 kilometres across. Pluto has a radius less than half that of Mercury and is only about two-thirds the size of Earth's Moon.
In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet. This was due to its small size, icy composition, and anomalous orbital characteristics. Pluto is located in a part of our solar system known as the Trans-Neptunian region, where other objects might cross its orbital path. This means that Pluto does not meet the criteria to clear its orbit, and it is also a binary system with Charon. It could be argued that Pluto does not directly orbit the Sun but instead orbits Charon, with the system orbiting the Sun.
Pluto's orbit is more elongated and eccentric than any of the planetary orbits and is more inclined to the ecliptic. Its axis of rotation is tilted 57 degrees with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun, so it spins almost on its side. Pluto also exhibits a retrograde rotation, spinning from east to west like Venus and Uranus.
Pluto's small size and slow rotation suggest that it has little to no magnetic field. Its low gravity, about 6% of Earth's, causes its atmosphere to be much more extended in altitude than the Earth's atmosphere. When Pluto is close to the Sun, its surface ices sublimate, rising to form a thin atmosphere. During the part of the year when it travels away from the Sun, the bulk of Pluto's atmosphere may freeze and fall as snow to the surface.
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Pluto's surface area is similar to Russia's
Pluto, a dwarf planet, has a surface area of 17,646,012 km² according to NASA's New Horizons mission. This is slightly larger than Russia's surface area of 17,125,191 km².
Prior to NASA's New Horizons mission in 2015, the size of Pluto was estimated to be smaller, at 16,647,940 km². This led to the commonly accepted fact that Russia's surface area was larger than that of Pluto. However, the New Horizons mission provided more precise measurements, revealing that Pluto is actually bigger than Russia in terms of surface area.
The comparison between Pluto and Russia's surface areas sparked interesting discussions and even led to suggestions of "downgrading" Russia from being a planet. It is worth noting that Pluto's status as a dwarf planet is due to its inability to clear its orbit and its binary system with Charon.
While Pluto's surface area is similar to Russia's, it is significantly smaller than Australia's. Australia measures approximately 4,000 km in diameter, while Pluto's diameter is only 2,370 km. This size difference sparked humorous debates on Reddit about hypothetical battles between Australia and Pluto, with users joking about which one would emerge victorious.
In summary, Pluto's surface area is indeed similar to Russia's, with Pluto being slightly larger. However, when compared to Australia, Pluto is considerably smaller. These comparisons highlight the unique characteristics of each celestial body and provide insights into their relative sizes and geographical contexts.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Pluto is smaller than Australia. Australia is about 4,000 km wide, while Pluto is only 2,370 km across.
Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 by the IAU because other objects might cross its orbit, and due to its small size, icy composition, and anomalous orbital characteristics.
A dwarf planet is an object in orbit around the Sun that is large enough to pull itself into a nearly round shape but has not been able to clear its orbit of debris.
Pluto's surface temperature is extremely cold, averaging -387°F (-232°C), making it too cold to sustain life.
Pluto is not visible in the night sky to the unaided eye. Its small size and great distance from Earth make it difficult to resolve detail about its surface from Earth.
