Pluto system: February 15, 2006

This picture by Hubble shows the system of the dwarf planet Pluto, seen on February 15, 2006. Pluto as well as its moon Charon are both visible as bright stars.

Discovered in 1930, Pluto was originally classified as ninth planet of the Solar System. However, the discovery of numerous objects of similar size and mass found since the 1970s orbiting the Sun at large distance, questioned its status as a planet. In 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined formally the definition of a planet and reclassified Pluto this way to the new dwarf planet category.