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Charon (/ ˈ k ɛər ɒ n,-ə n / KAIR-on, -ən or / ˈ ʃ ær ə n / SHAIR-ən), [note 1] or (134340) Pluto I, is the largest of the five known natural satellites of the dwarf planet Pluto. It has a mean radius of 606 km (377 mi). Charon is the sixth-largest known trans-Neptunian object after Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Gonggong. [18]
Moons of Pluto. The dwarf planet Pluto has five natural satellites. [ 1] In order of distance from Pluto, they are Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra. [ 2] Charon, the largest, is mutually tidally locked with Pluto, and is massive enough that Pluto and Charon are sometimes considered a binary dwarf planet.
Charon. Attic red-figure lekythos attributed to the Tymbos painter showing Charon welcoming a soul into his boat, c. 500–450 BC. In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon ( / ˈkɛərɒn, - ən / KAIR-on, -ən; Ancient Greek: Χάρων) is a psychopomp, the ferryman of the Greek underworld. He carries the souls of those who have been given ...
First identified in 1978 by astronomer James Christy, Charon is the only moon of Pluto that may be in hydrostatic equilibrium. Charon's mass is sufficient to cause the barycenter of the Pluto–Charon system to be outside Pluto. Beyond Charon there are four much smaller circumbinary moons. In order of distance from Pluto they are Styx, Nix ...
Annotated map of Charon, with IAU-approved names for features as of 2018. The geological features of Charon, the largest moon of Pluto, are being mapped by scientists using data from the New Horizons spacecraft. The team has given provisional names to the most prominent. As of April 2020, only some of the names have been officially recognized ...
Geology of Charon. The geology of Charon encompasses the characteristics of the surface, crust, and interior of Pluto 's moon Charon. Like the geology of Pluto, almost nothing was known of Charon's geology until the New Horizons of the Pluto system on 14 July 2015. Charon's diameter is 1,208 km (751 mi)—just over half that of Pluto. [1]
The Moon is shown in polar view, and is not drawn to scale. A side view of the Pluto–Charon system. Pluto and Charon are tidally locked to each other. Charon is massive enough that the barycenter of Pluto's system lies outside of Pluto; thus, Pluto and Charon are sometimes considered to be a binary system.
Alma mater. University of Arizona. Scientific career. Fields. Astronomy, astrometry. Institutions. United States Naval Observatory. Hughes Missile Systems. James Walter "Jim" Christy (born September 15, 1938) is an American astronomer known for discovering Charon, the largest moon of the dwarf planet Pluto .