Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site dg_rtp.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!mcnc!rti-sel!dg_rtp!throopw
From: throopw@dg_rtp.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sci
Subject: Re: Pluto surface gravity?
Message-ID: <112@dg_rtp.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 26-Jan-86 18:23:08 EST
Article-I.D.: dg_rtp.112
Posted: Sun Jan 26 18:23:08 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 28-Jan-86 05:37:38 EST
References: <26500005@inmet.UUCP>
Lines: 26

> Does anyone have a reasonable estimate of the surface gravity of Pluto?
>
> It would be most useful relative to Earth = 1.0.

I always get my estimates from The Handbook of Chemistry and Physics.

So, looking in the index under "Pluto", I find "Pluto, physical data
for".  Page F150 yields a column for "Gravity(cm/sec**2)", and Pluto has
a mean value of 221.0 (+- 207.0) (it also gives polar and equatorial
values, but you probably don't care) [not too damn accurate, is it? ah
well, pressing on] while Earth has a mean value of 980.7 (+- .9), so the
ratio is .225 or so.  Say "Pluto has about a fifth Earth gravity", and
you won't go any further wrong than the usual estimates.

(I suspect that more recent books should have more accurate estimates...
you might check out your nearby friendly college library for the latest
edition of the HofC&P (mine is 52nd edition))

(I put this information here rather than mailing to let net.sci readers
with similar problems know about the HofC&P.  It is a goldmine of such
useless trivia.)

> Len Tower {bellcore,ima,ihnp4}!inmet!tower
-- 
Wayne Throop at Data General, RTP, NC
<the-known-world>!mcnc!rti-sel!dg_rtp!throopw