1. What is the name of Pluto's largest satellite?
Charon is the largest of the three known satellites of Pluto; the others are Nix and Hydra.
2. Name the spacecraft that is set to fly by and observe Pluto in the year 2015.
"New Horizons", an unmanned spacecraft, was launched by NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) on January 19, 2006, and is set to fly by Pluto on July 14, 2015. It will be the first spacecraft to visit Pluto and seeks to provide information on the surface properties, geology, interior makeup, and atmosphere of Pluto and its moons.
3. In Roman mythology, who was Pluto?
To the ancient Romans, Pluto was the king of the underworld (the ancient Greeks called him Hades). His brothers were Jupiter and Neptune, and his father was Saturn.
4. Who first suggested the name "Pluto" upon its discovery in 1930?
Venetia Phair (nee Burney), an 11-year-old schoolgirl in Oxford, England, was an avid young reader of Classical mythology. She suggested the name of "Pluto" to her grandfather, Falconer Madan, a retired librarian, who then communicated this idea to his friend Herbert Hall Turner, professor of astronomy at the University of Oxford. This was further communicated to other astronomers and the result was the acceptance of "Pluto" as the official name. Pluto was also a particularly appropriate choice as its first two letters, "P" and "L", were the initials of Percival Lowell, an astronomer who predicted the existence of Pluto (which he called "Planet X") in the early 1900s.
5. What is the dominant constituent (element) of Pluto's icy surface and atmosphere: oxygen, nitrogen, boron, or plutonium?
Nitrogen (N2) makes up the bulk of Pluto's icy surface and atmosphere. There are also traces of methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO).
6. Name the first Disney cartoon film to feature the dog Pluto.
The Disney cartoon character, Pluto the dog, first appeared in "The Chain Gang", an 8-minute cartoon film from 1930 starring Mickey Mouse. However, Pluto did not yet have a name in this featurette. It was not until "The Moose Hunt" in 1931 where Pluto was given his name (following the astronomical discovery of Pluto in 1930).
7. How long does it take for Pluto to orbit around the Sun?
It takes approximately 248 Earth years for Pluto to revolve around the Sun.
8. Pluto has now been demoted to a "dwarf planet". Name one of the other two dwarf planets in this designation.
The other designated dwarf planets are as follows: Ceres, the largest asteroid in our solar system; and Eris (formerly 2003 UB313 and nicknamed Xena), an icy object that in fact is larger than Pluto.
9. In 2002, comedian Eddie Murphy starred in one of the largest flops in film history. Name it (but please don't see it!).
"The Adventures of Pluto Nash", in which Eddie Murphy plays a nightclub owner in outer space. This movie had one of the largest financial losses in film history, with a budget of $100 million and a total U.S. gross of only $4.4 million (total loss, $95.6 million).
10. Which is larger: Pluto or the Moon?
Pluto is smaller and less massive than the Earth's Moon.
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