Abstract

This chapter provides a review of the current state of knowledge concerning Pluto, Charon, and other objects in the Kuiper Belt (KB). Necessarily, some background information on the KB itself is also provided, but the emphasis is not on the KB as a structure, but the objects in it. We begin by placing the discovery of Pluto and the KB in historical context. We then provide overviews regarding the Pluto system, the KB, and Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) themselves. We then review the environment of the KB and the properties of Pluto and KBOs in more detail. This is followed by a discussion of scenarios for the origin of the KB and KBOs. We end by examining the goals and prospects for future progress in these areas over the next 10–15 years.

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