Pluto is a dwarf planet orbiting the Sun, with about a sixth of the mass
of the Moon and a third of its volume. Like other Kuiper belt objects,
which are generally outside Neptune's orbit, Pluto is primarily rock and
ice. It has an elongated and highly inclined orbit that takes it from
49 astronomical units (7.4 billion km) away from the Sun down to 30,
closer than Neptune. Light from the Sun takes about 5.5 hours to reach
it at its average distance. Since its discovery in 1930, it had been
considered the ninth planet, but the International Astronomical Union
came up with a new definition for planets in 2006 that excluded Pluto
after many other similar icy objects were found, including Chiron and
Eris. Pluto has five known moons: Charon (about half as wide as Pluto),
Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra. On 14 July 2015, a spacecraft is
visiting the dwarf planet and its moons for the first time: the New
Horizons probe is performing a flyby and attempting to take detailed
measurements and images. NASA has invited the general public to suggest
names for surface features that will be discovered on Pluto and Charon.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1223:
Louis VIII became King of France to begin a short three-year
reign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_VIII_of_France>
1769:
Spanish soldier Gaspar de Portolà led the first European land
expedition to present-day California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portol%C3%A0_expedition>
1865:
A seven-man team made the first ascent of the Matterhorn,
marking the end of the golden age of alpinism.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_ascent_of_the_Matterhorn>
1950:
In an early battle of the Korean War, North Korean troops began
attacking the headquarters of the American 24th Infantry Division in
Taejon, South Korea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Taejon>
1987:
Over 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain fell in a two-and-a-half-hour
period in Montreal, causing severe flooding and over CA$220 million in
damages.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Flood_of_1987>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
hapless:
Very unlucky; ill-fated.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hapless>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Ever'body might be just one big soul, Well it looks that a-way
to me. Everywhere that you look, in the day or night, That's where I'm
a-gonna be, Ma, That's where I'm a-gonna be. Wherever little children
are hungry and cry, Wherever people ain't free. Wherever men are
fightin' for their rights, That's where I'm a-gonna be, Ma. That's where
I'm a-gonna be.
--Woody Guthrie
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Woody_Guthrie>