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1. Subsequent investigations have shown that Charon is about half the size of Pluto making it the largest known satellite relative to its planet in the solar system. In fact, because of this, Pluto is often referred to as a double planet. The rotation period of the Pluto-Charon system is a mere 6 days.

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2. On first glance, our solar system seems to be well understood. It includes a single star, planets, their moons, dwarf planets like Pluto and Ceres, and smaller bodies like asteroids, comets, and the outer solar system Kuiper Belt objects. Yet, scientists continue to discover fascinating new findings.

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3. There are more planets than stars in our galaxy. The current count orbiting our star: eight.. The inner, rocky planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and ckonlounlampmillpewquaichorpanumlinomil.coinfo outer planets are gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and ice giants Uranus and Neptune.. Beyond Neptune, a newer class of smaller worlds called dwarf planets reign, including longtime favorite Pluto.. Planet Lineup.

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4. Oct 21,  · Planetary Fact Sheet in U.S. Units. Planetary Fact Sheet - Values compared to Earth. Index of Planetary Fact Sheets - More detailed fact sheets for each planet. Notes on the Fact Sheets - Explanations of the values and headings in the fact sheet. Schoolyard Solar System - Demonstration scale model of the solar system for the classroom.

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5. Pluto is now designated a dwarf planet, and it is the prototype of a class of objects located beyond the orbit of Neptune. Other dwarf planets are Ceres which is the largest asteroid found in the Asteroid Belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and UB which is an icy body that is larger and farther away than Pluto.

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6. Planet Facts. Our solar system has eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. With the exception of Uranus and Neptune, each of these planets can be seen unaided. All eight planets can be see through the use of an inexpensive amateur telescope or binoculars.

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7. Jul 15,  · On July 14, , NASA's New Horizons spacecraft arrived at Pluto for the first time. The craft flew within 7, miles of the planet and is sending back reams of data and the highest resolution.

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8. Oct 24,  · Pluto is actually closer to the sun than Neptune for about 8% of its orbit. Pluto is just one of many icy objects in a distant area of our solar system. Pluto and its large, orbiting companion object Charon, are tipped on their sides. All of the above. Well, just .

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