In the outer reaches of our solar system is a planet unlike any other, Pluto. Pluto was discovered in February 1930 by an American astronomer, Clyde Tombaugh. It is the only planet to have been discovered by an American. Even though we have known about Pluto's existence for more than thirty years now, there are still many mysteries surrounding this celestial body. Being the most distant planet made it difficult to study Pluto. Adding to the darkness of this strange planet is the fact that the ability to send spacecraft to such distances has never been achieved. Thanks to the wonders of science and astronomy, there are many things that can be determined, concluded, and hypothesized about this dark planet. The discovery of Pluto was actually a lucky accident. Clyde Tombaugh was looking for a ninth planet to explain inconsistencies in the orbits of Neptune and Uranus. Once further research was conducted on Pluto, it was determined that Pluto's size was too small to account for the irregularities of the orbits. Astronomers continued to search for a tenth planet, “Planet X.” The calculations that led scientists to believe this were later proven incorrect by Voyager 2. With the more accurate mass of Neptune that Voyager 2 was able to produce, the orbit discrepancies were explained. It is no longer believed that a tenth planet exists. Since it was discovered, Pluto's legitimacy as a true planet has long been debated. The numerous irregularities found during the study of Pluto, along with its tiny size, have made it a subject of controversy. For a while it was believed that Pluto might be another moon of the planet Neptune. This was often believed because of the similarities between Pluto and Triton, Neptune's moon. Triton and Pluto have similar surface and atmospheric properties, both being at nearly the same temperatures. Many believe that Triton was also once independent of Neptune and that Triton, like Pluto, came from the Kuiper belt, explaining such relationships. Additionally, both Pluto and Triton have very unusual orbits leading some to believe that there is a cosmic connection between the two. After ruling out the possibility that Pluto was another moon of Neptune, Pluto was then classified by the International Astronomical Union. .... middle of the paper ...... differs markedly from the Earth's distance of 147.5 kilometers from the sun to perihelion. Astronomers can study Pluto best when it is at perihelion, unfortunately this only happens once in its 248.8 year orbit. As we continue to extend our reach into the outer solar system, we are constantly learning more and more about Pluto. Although the information astronomers have is limited, each element helps them formulate further hypotheses about the planet. In a short time, astronomers were able to make great strides in gathering information to better understand Pluto. Hopefully, as we continue space travel and research, we can continue to learn about this unusual planet. Sources • www.solarviews.com/eng/pluto.htm • www.nineplanets.org/pluto.html • nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov /planetary/planets/plutopage.html • www.lowell.edu/users/buie/ pluto/pluto.html• IAU press release from January 1999. “The status of Pluto: a clarification