This cache is Part of the Caches Across the Solar System series in Southern California, which will take visitors to scale representations of the Planets, Dwarf Planets, Moons, and Other Objects of the Solar System, with the Great Park Balloon representing the Sun. Find at least 6 CASS Caches, stamp your passport, and turn it in at the Signal's Island Block Party (GCAXN0B) for prizes!
Download your PASSPORT here.
PLUTO IS CUTE-O!
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Discovered: February 18, 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh.
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Dwarf Planet Status: Reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 by the IAU (International Astronomical Union) which is basically science’s way of saying “It’s not you, it’s your orbit.”
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Orbit: Takes 248 Earth years to complete one trip around the Sun. That means it hasn’t even made one full lap since it was discovered!
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Day Length: One day on Pluto = 6.4 Earth days.
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Surface: Composed of rock and ice with frozen nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide.
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Atmosphere: Thin and made mostly of nitrogen, with some methane and carbon monoxide—it can freeze and fall to the ground as Pluto gets farther from the Sun.
- Heart-Shaped Glacier: Known as Tombaugh Regio, it made the internet go “aww” after the New Horizons flyby in 2015
- Pluto will complete its first full orbit around the Sun since its discovery on Monday, March 23, 2178
Fun fact: Pluto was discovered in 1930… the same year autism was first described. Coincidence? Possibly. But let's just say, if Pluto had feelings, it would definitely relate to being misunderstood, intensely focused, and orbiting at a safe distance.
Charon
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Discovered: 1978 by astronomer James Christy.
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Size: About half the diameter of Pluto—huge for a moon! This makes Pluto-Charon more of a binary system than a classic planet-moon pairing.
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Tidal Lock: Pluto and Charon always show the same face to each other. Relationship goals?
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Surface: Mostly water ice with hints of ammonia hydrates and possible cryovolcanoes (ice volcanoes!).
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Reddish North Pole: May be caused by Pluto’s escaping atmosphere settling on Charon.
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No Atmosphere: Unlike Pluto, Charon is basically naked in space.
Poor Pluto! First, it was the 9th planet, living its best life since 1930. Then, the scientists went all “You can’t sit with us!” and kicked it out of the planet club. In the time it took scientists to discover it,let it be a planet again for 76 years, take away it's planet status, say it might be a planet again, then cahanged their minds, Pluto never completed a full orbit around the sun!
