
Plutonian Mounts Aren’t Ice Volcanoes
Careful study of data from the New Horizons mission indicates that an iconic, caldera-looking feature isn’t what it seems.

How Did Pluto's Moons Form?
A massive collision with Pluto’s moon Charon could have formed the dwarf planet’s collection of smaller moons.

Cool Off with Pluto This Summer
Pluto might be a challenging target but it's well worth the effort. Grab your telescope and see if you can spot this distant, chilly world.

Did Pluto Harbor an Ancient Subsurface Ocean?
New studies shed light on the early years of Pluto's formation, and whether it ever hosted a subsurface ocean.

Pluto's Icy Heart "Beats," Driving Planet-Scale Winds
New computer simulations suggest that the "beating" of Pluto's frozen heart drives weak winds on this remote world in the outer solar system.

Lonely Pluto Is More than a Speck
With Saturn pointing the way, it's easy to venture into the Kuiper Belt this summer and pay a visit to Pluto.

Pluto and Charon Are Missing Small Craters
Scientists studying New Horizons images of craters on Pluto and its moon Charon have found that the Kuiper Belt must contain fewer small objects than expected — which suggests the outer solar system hasn’t changed much since its earliest days.

R Coronae Borealis Awakes and Pluto Blocks a Star
Sometimes, it's just as exciting to watch a celestial object fade or disappear as it is to see it explode. We celebrate the "return" of a mysterious variable star and prepare for Pluto to occult a star.

Dunes on Pluto
Planetary scientists think they’ve found wind-built ripples of methane ice on the king of the Kuiper Belt.

First Pluto Features Officially Named
Two years after New Horizons captured the first high-resolution image of Pluto, the IAU releases official names for some of its features.

Explore the Night with Bob King
Let's Find Pluto!
At opposition this week and as bright as it will be for the next 190 years, it's time to find your way to Pluto, a frigid enigma at the edge of night.

The Frozen Plain of Pluto
New images from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft reveal an ice-covered plain on Pluto that looks remarkably young and fresh.

Pluto and Charon Dazzle with Diversity
In a mission filled with surprises, New Horizons spacecraft has left its scientists awed by the array of landforms and compositions found on Pluto and Charon.

New Horizons Scans Pluto as Earth Awaits
New Horizons flew past Pluto and its moons earlier today, but the spacecraft stayed out of contact with Earth while finishing its historic observations.

New Horizons Buzzes Pluto
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft whizzed by Pluto this morning just before 8 a.m. EDT at nearly 14 km/s (31,000 mph), about 12,500 km (7,750 miles) above the surface.

Pluto and Charon: The Odd Couple
With just one day remaining until New Horizons makes its historic flyby, missions scientists are amazed by the views of Pluto and Charon already in hand.

Naming Pluto’s Features
How will planetary scientists decide what to call the features they discover on Pluto and its moons?

Down-Under Observers Track Pluto Cover-up
Deep snow, high winds, and dropped cameras didn't stop dozens of observers in New Zealand and Tasmania from recording Pluto's occultation of a bright star on June 29th.

Glimpsing Pluto’s Curious Equator
Here’s a taste of what New Horizons hopes to resolve when it passes by Pluto next Tuesday, July 14th.

SOFIA Dashes into Pluto's Shadow
Despite an 11th-hour scramble due to an unexpected in predictions, NASA's flying observatory was in the right place at the right time on June 29th as distant Pluto briefly covered a 12th-magnitude star.