Current Events

  • Irish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather
    A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong corr...Read more

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    Irish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather

    A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong correlation between the occurrence of volcanic eruptions and extreme cold weather in Ireland over a 1200 year period. Data analyzed in this study cover the period from 431 to 1649, during which time up to 48 volcanic eruptions are identified in Greenland ice core records through deposition of volcanic sulfate in annual layers of ice. You can find the study (open access), published on 6 June 2013 in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters, at http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/2/024035/article. Find out more about how volcanoes can influence climate.
  • EF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US
    The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, acco...Read more

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    EF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US

    The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, according to the National Weather Service in Norman Oklahoma. The tornado, which remained on the ground for 40 minutes and reached 2.6 miles across (4.2 km), took the lives of 18 people including storm chasers Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras and Carl Young. For more information on the tornado, visit http://ow.ly/i/2hfDG.
  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

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    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.

Pluto Statistics

Planetary Symbol: Name in Roman/Greek Mythology: Pluto / Hades
Diameter: 2,390 km (1,485 miles)
[0.187 x Earth's]
Orbital Semimajor Axis:
(average distance from Sun)
39.48 AU
(Earth = 1 AU)
Mass: 12.5 x 1021 kilograms
(0.0021 x Earth's)
Orbital Eccentricity: 0.2488
Density: 1,750 kg/m3
(0.317 x Earth's)
Maximum Distance from Sun: 49.31 AU
( 7.376 billion km or
4.583 billion miles )
Surface Gravity: 0.58 m/s2
(0.06 x Earth's)
Minimum Distance from Sun: 29.66 AU
( 4.437 billion km or
2.757 billion miles )
Surface Temperature: 40 to 50 K
( -233° to -223° C or
-387° to -369° F )
Minimum Distance from Earth: 28.6 AU
( 4.28 billion km or
2.66 billion miles )
Tilt of Axis: 123o Orbital Inclination:
(tilt of orbit plane)
17.16°
Rotation Period about Axis:
(length of Pluto's day)
6.387 days (retrograde) Revolution Period about the Sun:
(length of Pluto's year)
248 years

Satellites: known

Pluto Image Archive

Comparative Planetary Statistics -- in table form

Comparative Orbital Statistics -- in table form

Actual Distance to Earth

Last modified January 25, 2006 by Randy Russell.

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