A fifth moon was recently discovered orbiting around Pluto (which use to be the 9th planet in our solar system). In 2006, Pluto was demoted from a "planet" to a "dwarf planet" due to an official change in a planet's definition. In part, that change includes Pluto
not dominating the neighborhood around its orbit. None-the-less, astronomers remain intrigued by Pluto...and continue to study it and its surroundings.
A team of astronomers made the discovery of Pluto's new moon using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The team studied Hubble camera images gathered between June 26th and July 9th of 2012...resulting in the detection of the new moon which was named P5.
P5 looks to have an irregular shape, and is only 6-15 miles across. Its discovery is timely because it'll help scientists better navigate NASA'S New Horizons Spacecraft through the Pluto System in 2015 when it makes an historic fly-by of the distant world.
To learn more about Pluto's new moon (P5)....click the link below.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/new-pluto-moon.htmlMeteorologist Deitra Tate
(Image courtesy of NASA)
