The Pluto Question

Far from the Sun and smaller than Earth’s Moon, Pluto went undiscovered until 1930, when it was hailed as the most distant planet.

Since relegated to the status of “dwarf planet,” it remains one of the more mysterious bodies in the Solar System. Launched in 2006 on a decade-long voyage to Pluto and its moons, the New Horizons mission will help scientists determine whether Pluto is in fact a planet — and how the meaning of that term evolves as we learn more about objects on the outskirts of the solar system.

Video Why Isn't Pluto a Planet? Astronomer Jackie Faherty explains a controversial decision. Article Essay: Newton vs. Einstein vs. the Next Wave Our evolving theories of gravity come to blows. In three rounds. Article Interview with Michael M. Shara Interview with Michael M. Shara, Curator-in-Charge of Astrophysics and curator of Einstein. Blog Post New Horizons Passes Pluto Museum visitors watch space exploration history made live alongside mission control. July 15, 2015 Article Case Study: Gerard Kuiper and the Trans-Neptunian Comet Belt A dusty snowball orbiting the Sun, trailing gas and dust as it melts: find out how these solar snowballs came to be. Blog Post From the Field: Emily Rice Blogging from Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, Emily Rice, a research scientist in the Museum’s Department of Astrophysics,... April 28, 2011 Audio Frontiers Lecture: The Pluto Encounter Last summer, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft captured incredibly detailed images of Pluto, revealing a planet alive with geological... March 10, 2016 Permanent Hall Hayden Big Bang Theater The Big Bang presentation, a dynamic flight through the virtual universe, is narrated by Liam Neeson.

Support for the development of Science Topics was generously provided by Sidney and Helaine Lerner, GRACE Communications Foundation.