Pluto (world)

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Pluto
Pluto/Sol (Solomani Rim 1827)
Classic Era (1116)
F10046C-F
StarportF Error in Starport Decode
Size1 Small (1,600 km, 0.05g - 0.09g)
Atmosphere0 Vacuum
Hydrographics0 Desert World 0%
Population4 Moderate (10 thousand)
Government6 Captive Government/Colony
LawC Extreme Law (no privacy)
Tech LevelF High Stellar (anagathics)
See also UWP
System Details
Primary G2 V
Planetoid Belts 1
Gas Giants 4
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Jump map from Travellermap.com [1]

Pluto is a vacuum world, which warrants hazardous environment precautions.

Description / Astrography & Planetology

Pluto is a worldlet, one of the largest members of the Kuiper Belt in the outer reaches of the Terra system in Sol Subsector of the Solomani Rim.

  • Popular opinion holds that Pluto is an Ancients site, though this has not been (as yet) been substantiated.
  • Any approach to Pluto closer than 1 AU (149.6 million km) is expressly forbidden.


Monostellar System

Pluto Monostellar System
Star Name Hierarchy Category Mass (Sol) Temp (K) Luminosity (Sol)
Pluto

G2 V

 Primary Main Sequence 1 5720 - 5770 1
Unit Diameter Min Distance Hab Zone Jump Shadow M-Drive Limit
AU 0.0047 0.0829 0.95 - 1.68 0.47 4.7
Orbit #  *  * 4 1 6
Remarks
Sol

System Data

The primary of the Terra system is Sol, an ordinary yellow main sequence star. It has a luminosity of 1 Sol, a mass of 1 Sol, and a diameter of 1.391 million km. Sol retains a family of four inner rocky worlds, a stony planetoid belt, four outer gas giant worlds, and an outer ring of icy worldlets and debris:

  1. Mercury
  2. Venus
  3. Terra / Luna
  4. Mars
  5. Asteroid Belt
  6. Jupiter
  7. Saturn
  8. Uranus
  9. Neptune
  10. Pluto / Kuiper Belt

Pluto

Pluto is a large Kuiper Belt object and is classified as a worldlet. It orbits Sol at a mean distance of 39.48 AU (5.9 billion km), within the outer system. It has an orbital period of 247 years 344 days and a rotation period of 6 days 9.3 hours. The axial tilt is 119.6 degrees. Pluto has a diameter of 2,377 km, a density of 1.88 g/cm³, and a surface gravity of 0.063 G. The gravitational influence of Charon, its large close moon, causes infrequent geological activity. Its atmosphere is rated as Vacuum: pockets of sub-trace atmosphere (at pressures of less than 0.00001 bar) composed largely of nitrogen (N2), methane (CH4), and carbon monoxide (CO) occur within low-lying sunlit geographical features. The world has no hydrosphere. Mean surface temperature: -229°C. Pluto lies at a mean separation of 8.2 diameters (19,500 km) from Charon, its primary moon – the two worlds orbit a barycenter located approximately 2000 km above the surface of Pluto and have an orbital period around one another of 6 days 9 hours.

  • Pluto's orbit is out of alignment with the plane of the Solar system: its orbit is inclined at an angle of 17°.
  • Pluto has a high orbital eccentricity. At perihelion it lies at 29.7 AU from Sol (within the orbit of Neptune), and at aphelion it lies at 49.3 AU.

Geography and Topography

Total surface area: 17 million km². Pluto is a rugged, mottled sphere with a moderate degree of cratering, its overall "peach" coloration ranging from almost charcoal black to dark orange and white. Major surface features include the Sputnik Planitia and the Tombaugh Regio (pale regions shaped like a loveheart), the Cthulhu Regio (a dark region dominating the southern hemisphere), the Voyager Terra and the Hayabusa Terra highlands, the Tartarus Dorsa, and the Burnley Crater.

Satellites

Pluto has one major satellite, named Charon, and four minor satellites, named Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra. Charon and all of the minor moons have characteristics typical of Kuyper Belt objects.

Charon
Charon

Charon (UWP Y100000-0) is the major moon of Pluto and is classified as a worldlet. It lies at a mean separation of 8.2 diameters (19,500 km) from Pluto – the two worlds orbit a barycenter located approximately 2000 km above the surface of Pluto and have an orbital period around one another of 6 days 9 hours: Charon is tidally locked to Pluto. The axial tilt is 0 degrees relative to Pluto. Charon has a diameter of 1,208 km, a density of 1.71 g/cm³ and a surface gravity of 0.029 G. Tidal stresses generated by the gravitational influence of Pluto cause infrequent geological activity. The atmosphere is rated as Vacuum. The world has no hydrosphere. Mean surface temperature: -220°C. Charon is a rugged, uniformly grey sphere with a moderate degree of cratering. A slight reddish-brown tinge in Charon's north polar cap region is the result of the presence of organic macro-molecular tholins. Major surface features include the Vulcan Planum, the Gallifrey Macula, the Serenity Chasma, the Mordor Crater, the Spock Crater and the Skywalker Crater.

Minor Satellites

Styx

Styx (UWP YS00000-0) is the inner of the four minor moons of Pluto and is classified as a worldlet. It orbits the Pluto-Charon barycenter at a mean distance of 18 Pluto diameters (42,650 km), with an orbital period of 20 days 4 hours. It has a chaotic, tumbling rotation with a period of 3 days 22 hours. Styx is a tiny irregularly shaped body with a long axis of 20 km, a density of 1.91 g/cm³ and a surface gravity of less than 0.001 G. The world is geologically inert. The atmosphere is rated as Vacuum. The world has no hydrosphere. Mean surface temperature: -218°C. Styx is a tiny, rugged, uniformly grey peanut-shaped body with a moderate degree of cratering.

Nix
Nix

Nix (UWP YS00000-0) is the second of the four minor moons of Pluto and is classified as a worldlet. It orbits the Pluto-Charon barycenter at a mean distance of 20.5 Pluto diameters (48,700 km), with an orbital period of 24 days 21 hours. It has a chaotic, tumbling rotation with a period of 43.9 hours retrograde to Pluto's equator. Nix is an irregularly shaped body with a long axis of 54 km, a density of 1.63 g/cm³ and a surface gravity of 0.00125 G. The world is geologically inert. Its atmosphere is rated as Vacuum. The world has no hydrosphere. Mean surface temperature: -215°C. Nix is a rugged, angular grey slab with a low degree of cratering. Tholins

  • Nix has a differentiated internal structure consisting of silicates, crystalline water-ice (H2O), crystalline methane-ice (CH4), and frozen nitrogen (N2). The crust is composed of methane, water and nitrogen ices and contains quantities of tholins, which give areas of its surface a red tint.
Kerberos

Kerberos (UWP YS00000-0) is the third of the four minor moons of Pluto and is classified as a worldlet. It orbits the Pluto-Charon barycenter at a mean distance of 24.3 Pluto diameters (57,800 km), with an orbital period of 32 days 4 hours. It has a chaotic, tumbling rotation with a period of 5 days 8 hours. Kerberos is a tiny irregularly shaped body with a long axis of 12 km, a density of 1.61 g/cm³ and a surface gravity of less than 0.001 G. The world is geologically inert. The atmosphere is rated as Vacuum. The world has no hydrosphere. Mean surface temperature: -217°C. Kerberos is a tiny, rugged, mottled grey losenge-shaped body with a moderate degree of cratering.

Hydra

Hydra (UWP YS00000-0) is the outer of the four minor moons of Pluto and is classified as a worldlet. It orbits the Pluto-Charon barycenter at a mean distance of 27.3 Pluto diameters (64,800 km), with an orbital period of 38 days 5 hours. It has a chaotic, tumbling rotation with a period of 10.3 hours. Hydra is an irregularly shaped body with a long axis of 55 km, a density of 1.65 g/cm³ and a surface gravity of 0.0013 G. The world is geologically inert. The atmosphere is rated as Vacuum. The world has no hydrosphere. Mean surface temperature: -218°C. Hydra is a rugged, uniformly grey generally egg-shaped body with a moderate degree of cratering.

Native Lifeforms

No lifeforms are known to exist on Pluto or any of its moons.

History & Background (Dossier)

Pluto once held a Confederation military prison.

Imperial High / Landed Nobility

Only the mainworld of a system possesses an officially appointed or landed Imperial Noble.

  • The landed nobles of this system are located at the mainworld on Terra.

World Starport

Pluto has a Class F Spaceport, a good quality secondary installation for handing expected in-system traffic. It can supply amenities like brokerage services for passengers and cargo and refined fuel. There is a shipyard capable of doing annual maintenance, overhauls and most kinds of repair, and construction of non-starships. Spaceports usually consist of a Downport.

World Technology Level

Pluto possesses a Technology Level of TL–15 or TL-F in Hexadecimal Notation.

World Government

Pluto has a Captive Government or Colony. The world is ruled by an external government, there is no self-rule. A colony or conquered area. The local government is an oligarchy appointed by, and answerable only to, the external government.

World Military

Pluto is the site of an Imperial Navy base.

World Economy

No information yet available.

Trade Data

No information yet available.

World Demographics

Population 10,000

World Culture

No information yet available.

Historical Data

No information yet available.

World Timeline

No information yet available.

UWP Listing

No information yet available.

References & Contributors / Sources

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