What Is Pluto? Can We Live There?

[FreeWill]

What exactly is Pluto? It says "Pluto is the only known planet which cannot be placed in the terrestrial versus gas-giant planet classification -- it is small, but not very dense." What does that mean? We couldn't live on gas planets because there's no surface there right? But could we live on Pluto? How much do we know about Pluto?

 

[FreeWill]

um maybe you should move this I just don't know where it should go oops it should have gone to the general astrology and cosmology place move it there? Thanks

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/pluto_wait_030227.html

 

[Monique]

moved

 

[Janus]

What exactly is Pluto? It says "Pluto is the only known planet which cannot be placed in the terrestrial versus gas-giant planet classification -- it is small, but not very dense." What does that mean? We couldn't live on gas planets because there's no surface there right? But could we live on Pluto? How much do we know about Pluto?

What this means is that the terrestrial planets, are small and dense because they are mostly made form rock. The low density of Pluto suggests that it contains little or no rock and just might be composed of various ices. There is some argument that Pluto shouldn't even be considered a planet at all but is just the largest member of the Kuiper belt, which consists of like icey bodies.

 

[hexhunter]

on wikipedia it says that it and Charon, it's sattalite, share the same atmosphere, and sometimes the atmosphere will freeze and it will form a single icy body

 

[meteor]

It's very evident that Pluto is not akin to any other of the 8 other planets, so I prefer to call it a minor planet

I also think that is probable that in the future some object bigger than Pluto will be found in the Kuiper Belt (Sedna and Quaoar have been close to the mark)

 

[Adrian Baker]

...and sometimes the atmosphere will freeze and it will form a single icy body

Er..What? No, this isn't correct. I think you must have read it wrong

 

[DaveC426913]

on wikipedia it says that it and Charon, it's sattalite, share the same atmosphere, and sometimes the atmosphere will freeze and it will form a single icy body.

Er..What? No, this isn't correct. I think you must have read it wrong

I got to say, that's the weirdest thing I've ever heard.

BRB

OK, it does say this:
"It is thought by some that Pluto shares its atmosphere with its moon."
but nothing about a single solid body. Maybe he was misunderstanding this:
"Pluto and Charon are also unusual among planets in that they are tidally locked to each other."

 

[PeteSF]

Well, the article also says (correctly) that the atmosphere freezes regularly.

What it fails to clarify is that if Pluto and Charon do share an atmosphere, then it would only be shared when the atmosphere is not frozen.

 

[Phobos]

How much do we know about Pluto?

an introduction...
http://www.seds.org/billa/tnp/pluto.html

it should have gone to the general astrology

that was a typo right?

What it fails to clarify is that if Pluto and Charon do share an atmosphere, then it would only be shared when the atmosphere is not frozen.

Thanks for clarifying that Pete!
When Pluto's atmosphere freezes, it falls to the ground as a kind of snow (not water-snow, of course).

 

[Grogs]

an introduction...
http://www.seds.org/billa/tnp/pluto.html

I think that article pretty much sums up my feelings about Pluto. If it were only discovered today, I think we'd classify it as a large comet/asteroid (as Sedna probably will be), but since it's been officially labeled a planet for the last 75 years, why bother changing it now. It would just create too much confusion. Although, I have to admit it *would* be fun to watch the numerologists and astrologers squirm.