Question 1

True or false: Pluto was demoted from planet status because it is too small to have moons.

Accepted Answer

False. Pluto has five known moons, including Charon. It was reclassified because it hasn't cleared its orbit of other debris.

Question 2

True or false: Pluto has a heart-shaped glacier made mostly of nitrogen ice, called Tombaugh Regio.

Accepted Answer

True. The bright, heart-shaped region on Pluto, named after its discoverer Clyde Tombaugh, is a vast glacier of nitrogen ice.

Question 3

True or false: One day on Pluto lasts about 6.4 Earth days.

Accepted Answer

True. Pluto rotates slowly, taking roughly 6.4 Earth days to complete one full spin on its axis. This is its sidereal day, verified by astronomical observation.

Question 4

True or false: Pluto is the largest known object in the Kuiper Belt.

Accepted Answer

True. Pluto is the largest known Kuiper Belt object by diameter (2,377 km). Eris, though more massive, is a scattered disc object, not in the Kuiper Belt, and its diameter is slightly smaller (2,326 km).

Question 5

True or false: Pluto's orbit is perfectly circular, like most planets in the solar system.

Accepted Answer

False. Pluto's orbit is highly elliptical and tilted, sometimes bringing it closer to the Sun than Neptune, a unique trait among major planets.

Question 6

True or false: Pluto's atmosphere freezes and collapses onto its surface when it moves farther from the Sun.

Accepted Answer

True. As Pluto travels away from the Sun, its nitrogen-rich atmosphere freezes and falls as snow, causing the atmosphere to nearly disappear until it warms again.

Question 7

True or false: Pluto's largest moon, Charon, is so close that it orbits Pluto faster than Pluto rotates.

Accepted Answer

False. Charon is tidally locked to Pluto, meaning they always show the same face to each other, but Charon's orbit matches Pluto's rotation period (6.4 days).

Question 8

True or false: Pluto is considered a planet in the state of New Mexico and Illinois.

Accepted Answer

True. In 2007 and 2009, these states passed resolutions declaring Pluto a planet for local purposes, partly due to its discoverer's ties.

Pluto Trivia Questions