Pluto Facts: Distance, Size, Temperature & Moons

Planet #9 of 9 · ❄️ Ice-dominant (frozen volatiles)

A distant dwarf planet of nitrogen ice plains and mountains, reclassified in 2006 but still beloved as the solar system's ninth world.

How far is Pluto from Earth?

Pluto is 4.28 – 7.53 billion km from Earth. This is a range rather than a fixed number because both Earth and Pluto are constantly moving along their own orbits around the Sun, so the distance between them is always changing. Pluto orbits at an average distance of 39.48 AU (5.91 billion km) from the Sun, compared to Earth's 1 AU (149.6 million km).

Key facts about Pluto

Atmosphere

Thin nitrogen, methane, CO (seasonal)

Discovery

Discovered 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh; reclassified as a dwarf planet by the IAU in 2006.

Did you know?

✨ Pluto's largest moon Charon is so big the two bodies orbit a shared point of gravity between them.