Hi Becky,

Pluto does get some energy from our sun - but it is not a whole lot. Pluto is 39.5 times further from the sun than the Earth. That means that it gets 39.5 x 39.5 less energy. That is less than a thousandth the energy Earth gets from the sun.

Still, though, when Pluto is on the part of its orbit that is closest to the sun that is enough to heat it enough that it has an atmosphere. When it is farthest from the sun that atmosphere is frozen!

Terry