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Search for the ninth planet begins!
Urbain La Verrie discovers Neptune due to irregularities in Jupiter's atmosphere. However even after the discovery of an eighth planet, unexplained fluctuation remain leading astronomers to believe there must be a ninth planet. -
Pluto is discovered!
The ninth planet in our solar system was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. It is 2.76 miles from sun at the closest point of its orbit. -
Pluto is announced
The observatory in Arizona announced Clyde's discovery of the new planet named Pluto. -
Pluto is named by a young english girl
The name “Pluto” is officially announced as the new name of Planet X. The name was suggested by 11-year-old Oxford, England resident Venetia Burney . -
Pluto's moon is discovered
While working at the United States NAval Observatory a man, named James Christy, discovered that Pluto had a moon. James named it Charon. -
First Moon Announced
The discovery of the first moon of Pluto, Charon, is announced by Captain J.C. Smith of the US Naval Observatory. -
First Surface Photos
They're taken with the hubble telescope! -
NASA launched a spacecraft to Pluto.
NASA launches its New Horizons spacecraft to pluto that would follow a 2-day delay. Scientists won't be able to receive data until at least July 2015. -
Pluto gains two more moons.
It was reported that there was a pair of moons oribiting Pluto. They were offically named Nix and Hydra by the Internal Astronimcal Union. -
Pluto is no longer a planet.
The "Planet Definiton" Resolution was put to the 2006 General Assemblr of the INternation Astronomical Union. Pluto looses its status a planet and the number of Planets in our solar systems drops to eight again. -
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New Horizon's travel
During the eight year trek from Jupiter to Pluto, the craft will spin slowly in a state of hibernation to assure that it "sleeps peacefully". But for fifty days each year it will be awakened to conduct a set of calibrations and observations -
More dwarf planets
Two more planets were recognized as dwarf planets just as pluto was. Their names are makemake and Haumea. -
Fourth moon spotted
NASA reported that the Hubble Space Telescope found a fourth moon circling Pluto. -
Fith Moon Found
A US astronomer named Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute reported that he discovered a 5th moon around Pluto. Mark used the Hubble Space Telescope to find the 6-15 mile across moon named P-5. -
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Regular monitoring of New Horizons
Regular monitoring begins about 200 days before the spacecraft's closest approach to Pluto. -
Pluto-System Encounter
New Horrizons, a Atlas v 551 vehicle, was launched on January 19, 2006. The trajectory is to Pluto via Jupiter Gravity Assist. It is supposed to encounter the Pluto's system on this day where it'll pass within 6,000 miles of the frozen dwarf planet. -
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New Horizons may be redirected.
With NASA's approval, the spacecraft withb directed towards one or more Kuiper Belt Objects beyond Pluto.
