Pluto
Pluto was once our solar system's ninth planet, but has been reclassified as a dwarf planet. It's located in the Kuiper Belt.
About Pluto
Pluto is a dwarf planet located in a distant region of our solar system beyond Neptune known as the Kuiper Belt.
Pluto was long considered our ninth planet, but the International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006. NASA's New Horizons was the first spacecraft to explore Pluto up close, flying by in 2015. Pluto was discovered in 1930 by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh. It was named by 11-year-old Venetia Burney of Oxford, England.
Get the FactsPluto by the Numbers
How big is Pluto? How far is it from the Sun?
Use this tool to compare Plutoto Earth, and other planets.
Analyze and CompareExploring Pluto
NASA's New Horizons was the first and, so far, the only mission to Pluto.
New Horizons also was the first mission to explore the solar system's recently discovered "third zone," the region beyond the giant planets called the Kuiper Belt.
Learn More About Exploring PlutoMoons of Pluto
Pluto has five moons.
Pluto's largest moon, Charon, is about half the size of Pluto, making it the largest known moon relative to its parent planet in our solar system. Pluto's other moons are: Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra
Learn About Pluto's Moons