Moon/Pluto

Pluto discovered (Clyde Tombaugh) Tombaugh observes a body one-fifth the mass of Earth s moon. Pluto comes to be regarded as the ninth planet of the solar system, but in 2006 it is reclassified as one of the largest-known Kuiper Belt objects, a dwarf planet. 

Pluto has a large satellite, Charon, which was discovered in 1978 (Fig. 3.20). A comparison between these two objects shows that Charon might be the result of a large impact on Pluto (like the formation of the Moon). Pluto and Charon are gravitationally locked. They always keep the same hemisphere to each other. The average distance between Pluto and Charon is only 19 570 km. The average density of Charon is 1.65 gcm and its mass is 0.11 that of Pluto. 

Our solar system consists of the Sun, the planets and their moon satellites, asteroids (small planets), comets, and meteorites. The planets are generally divided into two categories Earth-like (terrestrial) planets—Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars and Giant planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Little is known about Pluto, the most remote planet from Earth. 

A collision with a Mars-sized object may have resulted in the formation of the Earth s moon. Our moon is by no means the largest satellite in the solar system, but it is unusual in that it and the moon of Pluto are the largest moons relative the mass of the planets they orbit. Geochemical studies of returned lunar samples have shown that close similarities exist between the bulk composition of the moon and the Earth s mantle. In particular, the abimdances of sidero-... 

In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union redefined the term planet and decided that the former ninth planet in the solar system should be referred to as a dwarf planet with the number 134340. The dwarf planet Pluto and its moon, Charon, are the brightest heavenly bodies in the Kuiper belt (Young, 2000). The ratio of the mass of the planet to that of its moon is 11 1, so the two can almost be considered as a double planet system. They are, however, quite disparate in their composition while Pluto consists of about 75% rocky material and 25% ice, Charon probably contains only water ice with a small amount of rocky material. The ice on Pluto is probably made up mainly of N2 ice with some CH4 ice and traces of NH3 ice. The fact that Pluto and Charon are quite similar in some respects may indicate that they have a common origin. Brown and Calvin (2000), as well as others, were able to obtain separate spectra of the dwarf planet and its moon, although the distance between the two is only about 19,000 kilometres. Crystalline water and ammonia ice were identified on Charon it seems likely that ammonia hydrates are present. 

J In outer space, frozen water, or ice, has been found on the moon, on planets— particularly Mercury, Mars, Neptune, and Pluto—and in comets and clouds between stars in our galaxy. Recent explorations of Mars indicate that there may be liquid water underground on Mars.This means there could be microorganisms living there ... 

There are actually eight planets in the solar system. (There used to be nine, but Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet along with Eris and three others.) To all ancient peoples, however, there were seven planets. The Sun and the Moon were included in the list but the Earth was not. This was because from Earth, the objects in the sky appear to circle Earth, and she seems to be standing still. 

Pluto and some moons of the giant planets contain considerable amounts of ices and deserve special mention. In some cases they even exhibit active or recent processes that liberate liquids and gases derived from ices, suggesting a tentative link with cometary activity. These bodies, which are too large to be called planetesimals, include former KBOs now relocated into the planetary region, as well as objects that probably accreted in the giant planet region. 

Pluto, with a diameter of 2300 km, has now been demoted from the smallest planet to one of the largest Kuiper belt objects. Pluto and its satellite Charon could be considered a binary system because they are closer in size than any other known celestial pair in the solar system and the barycenter of their orbits does not lie within either body. There are also two smaller moons, Nix and Hydra. All four bodies are likely KBOs with similar compositions. Pluto has a thin atmosphere containing N2, with minor CH4, CO, and Ar. Curiously, the face of Pluto oriented towards Charon contains more methane ice, and the opposite face contains more nitrogen and carbon monoxide ice. 

The chemical dynamics, reactivity, and stability of carbon-centered radicals play an important role in understanding the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), their hydrogen-dehcient precursor molecules, and carbonaceous nanostructures from the bottom up in extreme environments. These range from high-temperature combustion flames (up to a few 1000 K) and chemical vapor deposition of diamonds to more exotic, extraterrestrial settings such as low-temperature (30-200 K), hydrocarbon-rich atmospheres of planets and their moons such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Titan, as well as cold molecular clouds holding temperatures as low as 10... 

All these studies provide evidence for a rich radiation chemistry. For example, in N2-dominated ice (modeling the surfaces of Pluto and Triton, a moon of Neptune), the authors have proven by infrared spectroscopy the formation of HCN as well as HNC starting from N2/CH and N2/CH /CO mixtures. Other species such as HNCO, NH3, NH4, OCN , CN and N3 were also detected. As many of these species are involved in reactions producing biomolecules (amino acids, polypeptides), these results suggest the possibility of an interesting prebiotic chemistry on Triton and Pluto. 

Mercury is an important part of the solar system puzzle, yet we know less about it than any other planet, except Pluto. Mercury is the smallest of the terrestrial planets (0.05 Earth masses) and the closest to the Sun. Its relatively high density (5.4 g cm ) indicates that it has a large metallic core (—3/4 of the planet s radius) compared to its silicate mande and crust. The existence of a magnetic field implies that the metallic core is stiU partly molten. The surface is heavily cratered like the highlands of the Moon, but some areas are smooth and less cratered, possibly like the lunar maria (but not as dark). Its surface composition, as explained in the next section, appears to be low in FeO (only —3 wt.%), which implies that either its crust is anorthositic (Jeanloz et al., 1995) or its mande is similarly low in FeO (Robinson and Taylor, 2001). 

Neptune s largest moon, Triton, was discovered within weeks of the discovery of the planet itself. It is one of the most distant objects in the solar system. Even the outermost planet, Pluto, and its moon, Charon, spend considerable time on their eccentric orbits closer to the Sun than Triton. Its nature remained a mystery until the advent of new astronomical methods in the 1970s and 1980s and the flyby of the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1989. In many ways, it is a planetary body on the edge —on the outer edge of the main part of the solar system, and the inner edge of the realm of comets and the recently discovered Kuiper belt objects. As such, it shares some of the characteristics of the icy satellites of the rest of the outer solar system with some of the nature of the colder, more distant, cometary bodies. 

Pluto, the smallest of the Sun s planets and the farthest, on average, from the Sun, is shown with its moon Charon. Methane has been found in the thin atmosphere of Pluto. 

The chapters in this part help fill in those blanks. Chapter 8 illuminates the Moon and the Nodes of the Moon in all 12 signs. Chapters 9 and 10 discuss Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto — plus the asteroid Chiron, which was discovered in 1977 and is now routinely included in horoscopes by many astrologers. Chapter 11 talks about the Ascendant, and Chapter 12 describes the influence of the planets in each of the houses. Finally, Chapter 13 looks at the way the planets interact by analyzing the aspects, or geometrical relationships, that link them together. 

The sign that the Sun occupied at the moment of your birth is the most basic astrological fact about you. It defines your ego, motivations, needs, and approach to life. But the Sun isn t the only planet that affects you. (For astrological purposes, both luminaries — the Sun and the Moon — are called planets. Do yourself a favor and don t use this terminology when talking to astronomers.) Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, not to mention the Moon, represent distinct types of energy that express themselves in the style of the sign they re in. 

When it was discovered, Pluto was hailed as the ninth planet. Since then, astronomers have discovered many small, icy, celestial objects orbiting the Sun. And so they ve begun to rethink what it means to be a planet. Is it enough to simply orbit the Sun Well, no. After all, asteroids revolve around the Sun, as do comets. Is it enough to be above a certain size Or to orbit the Sun from within the plane of the solar system By those standards, Pluto doesn tqual-ify. It s small, its orbit is tilted, and it has a peculiar gravitational relationship to its largest moon. 

Pluto is small, rocky, and so mysterious that astronomers aren t sure what to make of it. Its elongated orbit, which is tilted to the rest of the solar system, overlaps the orbit of Neptune. As a result, from 1979 to 1999, Pluto was closer to the Sun than Neptune. Pluto s major moon, Charon, is so relatively large... 

Not only was Diana s eighth house home to both Uranus and Mars, it also held Pluto, the planet of transformation. In addition, Uranus formed a high-stress T-square pattern with the Moon and... 

I consider the planets in this order first the Sun and Moon, then the planets in order of their distance from the Sun Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. When looking up an aspect, be sure to look for it under the planet that comes first in the list. An aspect between Mercury and Uranus, for example, appears under Mercury an opposition between Venus and Pluto is discussed under Venus, and so on. 

Pluto lends intensity to the emotional issues governed by the Moon. A major aspect between these two means that your feelings are deep and your perceptions are laser-sharp. 

Here s the rule The transits that pack the biggest wallop are those made by the slowest planets — Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto — to the Sun, the Moon, the Ascendant, and the faster planets. Contacts made by the faster planets are usually short-lived. Contacts made by the slower planets to the slower planets (such as Uranus opposite your Pluto or Neptune conjunct your Saturn) may be too subtle to detect (unless the natal planet happens to occupy a prominent position in your chart). But contacts made by a slow planet to one of your personal planets — Pluto conjunct your Moon, Uranus opposite your Sun, and so on — signify the chapters of your life. 

---