This is a true color mosaic image of Pluto assembled from images taken from the New Horizons spacecraft near the time of its closest approach on July 14, 2015. .

Pluto was discovered by C. Tombagh in 1930, using the same techniques by which Neptune was found. But Pluto, much smaller than expected, is too tiny to affect faraway Uranus, so it's discovery was an accident.

Pluto's moon Charon is a surprising one-third the diameter of Pluto . Both may be escaped satellites of Neptune.

Pluto's orbit is unique in that it is much more elliptical than the planets, and it is inclined 17° to the plane of the Earth's orbit.

Pluto is shown to scale with its largest moon, Charon. Both are classified as "ice dwarfs".

Nix, Hydra, Styx and Kerberos are previously unknown moons of Pluto discovered with the use of the Hubble Space Telescope.

When the International Astronomical Union voted in 2006 to demote Pluto to the status of a "dwarf planet", there was a lot of discussion of the event on the Georgia State University campus. Astronomers Hal McAlister and Todd Henry were both present at the meeting in Prague, Czech Republic when the decision was made.