Pluto~+The+Planet+That+Was+F-I-R-E-D!

Pluto~ The Planet That Was F-I-R-E-D!!!

 Welcome to Pluto, but let's not call it a planet... exactly. And, definitely don't tell Pluto it was fired! Who knows what could happen! Why was it fired from planet-dom? Well, it's simple really~ Pluto is a dwarf. However, it isn't just a run of the mill, simple little dwarf planet; it is THE dwarf planet. It is the second most MASSIVE dwarf planet in the solar system... but, it is still a dwarf planet and, therefore, removed from its place as a full-fledged planet. And, Pluto has "moved" into the Kuiper Belt, which apparently is NOT a member of the solar system family... more like a second cousin twice removed.OK, so now that we understand that Pluto has been demoted, it is time to figure out what makes Pluto tick. Saying that Pluto is small is an understatement~ it is about the size of a fifth of Earth's moon. It is also made up of a bunch of little rocks and ice, which means that you may need your best winter coat when visiting. Other than that, Pluto is pretty insignificant, except that it is the only planet with a Disney character named after it.

**Distance from the sun:** About 7,400,000,000 km (about 4,600,000,000 miles). However, it can come as close as 4,400,000,000 km (about 2,800,000,000 miles) to the sun because of its elongated and wobbly orbit around the sun.  **Distance from Earth:** About 5,700,000,000 km (about 3,500,000,000 miles). That is like traveling around the Earth 142,550 times. Ready for a long walk? **Planetary Make-up:** It is primarily made of frozen nitrogen with a few "rocks" scattered about here and there. If you think about it, Pluto wouldn't have a problem with its planetary demotion if it got too close to the sun. **Moons:** One moon. It is really too small for any more than that. **Name of the moon:** Charon **How the planet got its name:** You might think it was named after the Disney dog, but it was really named after the Roman god of darkness and the underworld. It is the only planet to be named by a "regular" person; a girl, in fact, named Venetia Katherine Douglas Phair.