Pluto surface gravity?

[to...@inmet.uucp]

Does anyone have a reasonable estimate of the surface gravity of Pluto?

It would be most useful relative to Earth = 1.0.

Any reasonable estimate would be greatly appreciated.

Len Tower

UUCP: {bellcore,ima,ihnp4}!inmet!tower
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[ma...@acf4.uucp]

Surface Gravity goes as M/(R*R).
Thanks to its newly discovered satellite (Charon), Pluto's mass is estimated
at .002 terrestrial masses. Its Radius is less well known but guessed to
be roughly 1750 km, or .27 terrestrial radii.
(This data was taken from a popular french almanac for 1985).

These figures yield a surface gravity 37 times smaller than on Earth.

In other words, if Bob Beamon were on Pluto, and he managed to get used
to the surface, the atmosphere, and the gravity of Pluto, he would be able
to clear 333 meters in a long jump (if he managed to duplicate his physical
shape of 1968).

Gary A. Mamon -------- New York University, Physics Department
(212) 598-3627 ****** {allegra|ihnp4|seismo|princeton|topaz}!cmcl2!acf4!mamon

[Steve Schlaifer x3171 156/224]

Using values given in "Numerical Values of the Constants of the Joint Report
of the Working Groups of IAU Commission 4" by P. K. Seidelmann (USNO,
Washington D. C.) of September 1976, the gravity on the surface of Pluto is
about .722 that on the surface of the Earth. Note that the values for Pluto
used for radius and mass lead to a planet whose density is about 10 g cm-3
which is greater than that for any other planet. Earth is about 5 g cm-3 as
I recall. The radius of Pluto given is 2500 km, Earth is 6378.14 km. The
mass of Pluto is 1/3000000 solar masses, for Earth it is 1/332946. Hope this
helps,

...smeagol\ Steve Schlaifer
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Pasadena, California, 91109
+1 818 354 3171