The planets of the Solar System


Pluto

The ninth planet



Planet Profile

Mass1.29 x 10 22 kg
Diameter2,300 km
Mean density2,030 g/m³
Escape velocity1,100 m/sec
Average distance from Sun39.53 Astronomic Units (AU)
Rotation period6.39 Earth days
Revolution period247.7 Earth years
Obliquity (tilt of axis)122.5°
Orbit inclination17.15°
Orbit eccentricity (deviation from circular)0.248
Mean surface temperature37 °K
Albedo (reflectivity)about 0.5
Atmospheric componentsperhaps methane and nitrogen
Surface materials perhaps methane ice

0 °K (Kelvin) = -273.16 °C
1 AU (Astronomic Unit) = 149,597,893 km

Clearest View

This is the clearest view yet of the distant planet Pluto and its moon, Charon, as revealed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The image was taken by the European Space Agency's Faint Object Camera on February 21, 1994 when the planet was 4.4 billion km (2.6 billion mi) from Earth. Hubble's corrected optics show the two objects as clearly separate and sharp disks. This has allowed astronomers to measure (to within about 1 percent) Pluto's diameter of 2,320 km (1,440 mi) and Charon's diameter of 1,270 km (790 mi). The Hubble observations show that Charon is bluer than Pluto. This means that both worlds have different surface composition and structure. A bright highlight on Pluto suggests it has a smoothly reflecting surface layer.


Clearest View, see above: JPG-Format, RGB-Truecolor (24 Bit), Size: 7,5 KB


All images come from NASA !

If you want more informations about, you can connect the NASA here at once.

NASA Homepage



And there'll be something interesting informations about spaceflight at the Bavarian broadcasting on the television channel "Bayern 3", to receive on satellite. After closedown you can see the "SPACE NIGHT" every day. Here you can find interesting facts about the moonlanding, the German spacemissions (D1 and D2) and much more. Most beautiful are the "Earth Views".






See it !

The Space-Night Program


"SPACE NIGHT" is also available at the World-Wide-Web

Space-Night


And here you can find some more interesting informations about Space-Flight

If you want to know something about the latest MIR-Mission or you want to read the MIR-Diary, you will find interesting features on this site. Also you have informations about the MARS 96 Mission on this page.



Here you have some links for the theme:

German Aerospace Research Establishment

DLR

MIR

MIR 97

MARS 96

Mars 96 Mission


... and of course the American Mars-Missions Pathfinder and Global Surveyor

More than two decades after the last successful landing on Mars, NASA cause a sensation with their new Mars-Probes. Pin-sharps pictures and a flood of data make scientists busy all over the world.



Pathfinder

Planetary Exploration


Since July 4, 1997, the American Independence Day, a probe has landed on Mars after 21 years. The images, which the probe has transmitted, are fascinated. It opens a strange world on the other side of Earth and the scientists are filled with enthusiasm.

If you want more informations and see the pictures of the Pathfinder-Probe, you can here call up the Web-Site.

NASA Pathfinder Site


Global Surveyor

Planetary Cartography


Since summer 1997 the Global Surveyor is in the orbit of Mars. His job is to cartography the Red Planet with the latest technology. This mission is part of a greater project, which intended to bring human beings to Mars and back in the next century.

You can get further details at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory


Pictures, Logos & original Text:
NASA © 1997
BR & SPACE-NIGHT Logo:
Bayerischer Rundfunk © 1996
DLR Logo & MIR-Picture:
DLR © 1997
English translation & one's own text:
© Ritchie 1998





[Pictures] [NASA] [Space-Night Program]
[Space-Night] [DLR] [MIR] [Mars 96]
[Pathfinder] [Global Surveyor]





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