Traditional theories suggest that Pluto's formation process is similar to that of other celestial bodies in the Kuiper Belt, ...

Traditional views hold that Pluto formed in the cold Kuiper Belt, gradually accumulating ice and rock. Over the long ages, the decay of radioactive elements within the rocks released heat, gradually ...

Pluto has long been one of the most debated celestial bodies in our solar system. Once classified as the ninth planet, it was ...

Simultaneously cooling Pluto while energizing atmospheric molecules to allow them to escape into space, Pluto's haze plays a key role in the planet's energy balance.

"Makemake is one of the largest and brightest icy worlds beyond Neptune, and its surface is dominated by frozen methane," ...

In Roman mythology, Pluto is the god and ruler of the dead. For a return mission to the dwarf planet, Howett and her colleagues opted for the name Persephone, after Pluto's wife and "queen of the ...