Pluto—A Young Dwarf Planet

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Last spring was an exciting time as we got our first close-up look at the dwarf planet Pluto. What secular astronomers found surprised them, because Pluto doesn’t look very old.

Despite living in a densely populated part of the solar system, Pluto has very few craters. Now this was a complete shock to secular astronomers. They predicted Pluto would be covered in craters from billions of years of impacts.

Pluto also has a nitrogen atmosphere that is slowly leaking away. How has such a small body kept its atmosphere for billions of years?

Well, Pluto isn’t an old planet! It was created on Day Four.

Dig Deeper

• Pluto’s Surface Is Young!
• Taking Back Astronomy