The temperature on Pluto is extremely cold, ranging from about -375 to -400 degrees Fahrenheit (-225 to -240 degrees Celsius). These frigid temperatures are due to Pluto's great distance from the Sun, averaging about 3.7 billion miles (5.9 billion kilometers). As a result, the Sun provides little warmth, leaving Pluto's surface covered in ice, including frozen nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide. The variation in temperature is relatively small because Pluto's thin atmosphere does little to retain heat.