Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / Ninth planet
Prerequisite: Level 20 (Mass Effect)
Description
Pluto is one of Sol's numerous "ice dwarf" worlds. It is mainly of note for being the gravitational "anchor" for the Mass Relay to Arcturus. Pluto and the Charon Relay (formerly encased in ice, and considered a moon) orbit each other. Pluto's orbit was circularized in 2157 as a side effect of the Charon Mass Relay recovery operations.
Mineral Deposits
Initial Scanner Result: Moderate
| Mineral | Amount | Approximate Value |
|---|---|---|
| Palladium | High | 10,000 |
| Platinum | Medium | 6,100 |
| Iridium | Low | 4,200 |
| Element Zero | None | 0 |
Trivia
- When Mass Effect was in production, Pluto was considered by real-world astronomers to be Sol's ninth planet. The game therefore treats Pluto as such. However, in 2006, during Mass Effect's development, astronomers redefined the term "planet" in such a way that Pluto no longer qualified.[1] Under this definition, Sol has only eight planets, with Pluto categorized as a "dwarf planet" rather than a true planet. This decision was initially controversial, and the in-game description was not changed. In Mass Effect 2 and onward, however, Pluto is called an "ice dwarf" in its galaxy map description and its orbital path has been removed from the galaxy map.
- No clear photographs of Pluto existed until 2015, while Mass Effect 3 was released in 2012 – therefore, all three games show Pluto with inaccurate coloration. The textures for Pluto in Mass Effect 2 were updated for Mass Effect Legendary Edition to reflect the much more accurate and detailed photos taken by NASA's New Horizons probe in 2015.
- While in actuality Pluto has five natural satellites, this is not the case in Mass Effect, as Charon, the largest moon of Pluto, is revealed to be a mass relay that has been encased in ice.
