Pluto
A dwarf planet named after Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld identified with the Greek Hades, chosen because of its extreme distance and darkness at the edge of the solar system
The Meaning of Pluto
Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory and named after Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld, identified with the Greek Hades. The name was suggested by Venetia Burney, an eleven-year-old English schoolgirl who thought the cold, distant, dark world at the edge of the solar system deserved the name of the god who ruled the realm of the dead. The first two letters, PL, also honoured Percival Lowell, whose calculations had initiated the search. In Greek mythology, Hades received the underworld when the cosmos was divided among the three sons of Kronos: Zeus took the sky, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the realm below. Hades was invisible to the living, ruling a domain of eternal shadow. Pluto orbits so far from the Sun that sunlight takes over five hours to reach it, and surface temperatures approach minus 230 degrees Celsius. In 2006, Pluto was reclassified from planet to dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union, a decision that generated worldwide controversy. Its five known moons — Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos, and Styx — are all named after figures associated with the Greek underworld.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
Pluto was named by an eleven-year-old English schoolgirl named Venetia Burney, who suggested it over breakfast to her grandfather in 1930
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Uranus
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The seventh planet from the Sun, named after Ouranos, the primordial Greek god of the sky and the earliest supreme deity in the mythological genealogy
Saturn
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The sixth planet from the Sun, named after Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and time identified with the Greek Titan Kronos, father of Zeus
Jupiter
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The largest planet in the solar system, named after Jupiter, the Roman king of the gods identified with the Greek Zeus, because of its commanding size and brightness
Neptune
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The eighth and outermost planet of the solar system, named after Neptune, the Roman god of the sea identified with the Greek Poseidon, because of its blue colour
Aphrodite
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The planet Venus is named after the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, because it is the brightest and most beautiful object in the night sky after the Moon
Charon
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The largest moon of Pluto, named after Charon, the ferryman who transported the souls of the dead across the River Styx to the underworld of Hades
Mars
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The fourth planet from the Sun, named after Mars, the Roman god of war identified with the Greek Ares, because its reddish colour suggested blood and conflict
Mercury
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The smallest and fastest planet in the solar system, named after Mercury, the Roman messenger god identified with the Greek Hermes, because of its rapid orbital speed
Venus
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The second planet from the Sun and the brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon, named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love identified with the Greek Aphrodite
Ganymede
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The largest moon in the solar system, named after Ganymede, the beautiful Trojan prince abducted by Zeus to serve as cupbearer of the gods on Olympus
Triton
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The largest moon of Neptune, named after Triton, the merman son of Poseidon, notable for being the only large moon in the solar system that orbits in the opposite direction to its planet
Europa
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
A moon of Jupiter named after Europa, the Phoenician princess abducted by Zeus in the form of a white bull, now one of the most promising candidates for extraterrestrial life