Kuiper Belt object
Pluto is one of many icy worlds orbiting beyond Neptune in the Kuiper Belt, a distant region of frozen leftovers from solar-system formation.
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Dwarf planet lesson
Pluto
Dwarf planet
Pluto is a distant dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune.
Kid fact
Pluto has a heart-shaped region on its surface.
Global Map of Pluto
Location
Kuiper Belt
Visited by
New Horizons
Moons
5
Known for
Heart-shaped plain
Heart-shaped plain
Pluto's famous bright heart includes a smooth plain called Sputnik Planitia, where nitrogen ice can slowly move like a glacier.
Thin atmosphere
Pluto has a thin atmosphere that can change as it travels closer to or farther from the Sun during its long orbit.
New Horizons
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto in 2015 and revealed mountains, plains, haze layers, and moons in surprising detail.
Look closely
Find the heart-shaped region, darker reddish areas, and bright icy plains. Pluto is small, but its surface is active and varied.
Watch and learn