We're scientists on the NASA New Horizons team, which is at Pluto. Ask us anything about the mission & Pluto!

[u/NewHorizons_Pluto]

UPDATE: It's time for us to sign off for now. Thanks for all the great questions. Keep following along for updates from New Horizons over the coming hours, days and months. We will monitor and try to answer a few more questions later.

• Learn more about New Horizons at http://www.nasa.gov/newhorizons
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NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is at Pluto. After a decade-long journey through our solar system, New Horizons made its closest approach to Pluto Tuesday, about 7,750 miles above the surface -- making it the first-ever space mission to explore a world so far from Earth.

For background, here's the NASA New Horizons website with the latest: http://www.nasa.gov/newhorizons

Answering your questions today are:

• Curt Niebur, NASA Program Scientist
• Jillian Redfern, Senior Research Analyst, New Horizons Science Operations
• Kelsi Singer, Post-Doc, New Horizons Science Team
• Amanda Zangari, Post-Doc, New Horizons Science Team
• Stuart Robbins, Research Scientist, New Horizons Science Team

Proof: https://twitter.com/NASASocial/status/620986926867288064

[u/God_Damnit_Nappa]

I'm still not getting it. Saturn has rings around it and a ton of moons. Shouldn't it technically not be a planet since it hasn't cleared its orbit and has debris around it?

[u/ZappyKins → u/God_Damnit_Nappa]

Because they orbit Saturn, and not the Sun.

There isn't a bunch of asteroids and such orbiting the Sun in line with Saturn's orbit.

[u/OllieMarmot → u/God_Damnit_Nappa]

Capturing those objects as satellites counts as clearing the orbit.

[u/God_Damnit_Nappa → u/OllieMarmot]

Ah got it. Thanks!