The latest news and comment on Pluto, the second-most massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System
May 2023
Scientists criticise Nasa for scaling back mission to explore beyond Pluto
Anger at decision to axe the main task of the New Horizons spacecraft to probe the remote Kuiper belt
March 2022
Pluto’s peaks are ice volcanoes, scientists conclude
Existence of volcanoes makes idea that dwarf planet is inert ball of ice look increasingly improbable
June 2020
Beyond Pluto: the hunt for our solar system's new ninth planet
Scientists think a planet larger than Earth lurks in the far reaches of the solar system
July 2019
The moon was once a frontier. But new worlds now beckon
Martin Rees
Apollo 11’s Moon landing enthralled my generation. But the cosmos holds other planetary secrets that space exploration could unlock
January 2019
First close-ups of Ultima Thule reveal it resembles dark red snowman
Images of rock on the edge of the solar system were taken on the most distant flyby in history
December 2018
A New Year message from the edge of the solar system
On 1 January 2019 the New Horizons probe will begin transmitting data from Ultima Thule, 4bn miles from Earth in the Kuiper belt. What will it find?
October 2018
Starwatch
Starwatch: Mars and Saturn line up with the moon in the southern sky
The moon takes centre stage in this week’s planetary line-up – but Pluto is there too, invisible to the naked eye
May 2018
'Riot of processes': dunes of frozen methane detected on Pluto's surface
Dwarf planet’s methane dunes, located near a glacier of nitrogen, come as a surprise to scientists
March 2018
Brief letters
Oswald Mosley, the unpopular populist
Brief letters: Mosley in Manchester | David Edgar’s acting | LGBTQ sandwiches | Clinton called out in 1989 | Rainbow memories | Planet mnemonic
February 2018
Brief letters
Don’t fancy your odds against Ottolenghi
Brief letters: Yotam Ottolenghi | Snow | Mnemonics | Tony Blair | Groundhog Day
October 2017
Scientists discover ring around dwarf planet Haumea beyond Neptune
Rugby ball-shaped dwarf planet with two moons also has a ring around it and orbits in the outer solar system
September 2017
Pluto: dwarf planet's surface features given first official names
Mythological figures, astronomers, explorers and a British schoolgirl are among those immortalised as mountains, craters and regions on the distant world
August 2017
Spacewatch
Celestial target of small worlds beyond Pluto
Astronomers ponder the make-up of an oddly shaped Kuiper belt object before Nasa’s spacecraft completes a flyby in 2019
November 2016
Pluto's icy surface may conceal a vast ocean, say researchers
The position of the dwarf planet’s heart has long been a puzzle. Now two research teams suggest Pluto tipped over - potentially aided by a huge ocean
October 2016
Nasa findings hint of clouds on Pluto during New Horizons mission
The spacecraft is already well past Pluto and on its way toward a new destination, itself a billion miles beyond the dwarf planet
June 2016
Pluto's perplexing polygonal patterns caused by convection, scientists suggest
The strange patterns seen on Pluto’s icy surface are evidence of convection in the kilometres-thick layers of frozen nitrogen, two papers published today suggest
May 2016
2006: a space oddity – the great Pluto debate
Long known as the ninth planet, Pluto was downgraded in 2006, sparking a row that raises fundamental questions about the universe
March 2016
Pluto's story keeps evolving with latest New Horizons climate data
Nasa reveal latest findings from the New Horizons mission, which indicate how Pluto’s tilt affects its climate and atmospheric pressure over time
January 2016
Evidence suggests huge ninth planet exists past Pluto at solar system's edge
New Horizon's latest photos of Pluto: 'This part acts like a lava lamp'
