Pluto Day is celebrated on February 18 of every year. The planet was discovered in the year 1930, and it is considered the ninth planet in the solar system for about 76 years. Still, after the year 1992, its position as a planet was doubted as many objects like Pluto with similar size were discovered in the Kuiper belt. On 24th August 2006, Pluto’s position as a planet was degraded by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to a dwarf planet, and this day is called Pluto Demoted Day.
“As a planetary scientist, I don’t know what else to call Pluto: It’s big and round and thousands of miles wide.”- Alan Stern.
History of Pluto Day
Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh. It was named Venetia Burney, an 11-year-old girl. The planet is very far from Earth, so only a little is known about this planet. Pluto is about six billion kilometers, i.e. approximately four billion miles from Earth. This dwarf planet has a diameter of around 2250 km, i.e. 1400 miles. An interesting thing about the planet is that it has five moons: Charon, Kerberos, Hydra, Styx, and Nix. In this, Charon is the most massive moon. Pluto is the most extensive and 2nd substantial dwarf planet in the Solar System. The range between Sun and Pluto changes over time, so Pluto’s orbit around the Sun is not circular correctly. It means that its orbit is very eccentric. It is the 9th most massive and 10th most massive object directly orbiting the Sun.
Other Celebrations on February 18
February 18 is also celebrated as
How to Celebrate Pluto Day
On that day, try to visit your nearby planetarium and learn more about astronomy and many more exciting things. Also, take some time to read about the discovery and history of the planet and why it is downgraded from a full-sized planet to a dwarf planet. Then, post pictures and share your thoughts about Pluto Day with others on social media using the hashtag #PlutoDay.
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