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Charon, the largest, is mutually tidally locked with Pluto, and is massive enough that Pluto and Charon are sometimes considered a binary dwarf planet. [3] History. The innermost and largest moon, Charon, was discovered by James Christy on 22 June 1978, nearly half a century after Pluto was discovered.
Pluto has five known moons. The largest, Charon, is half the size of Pluto. Charon’s period of revolution is exactly equal to the rotation period of Pluto itself; in other words, Charon is in synchronous orbit around Pluto. As a result, Charon is visible from only one hemisphere of Pluto.
Pluto has five moons. Its largest moon, Charon, is about half the size of Pluto, making it the largest known moon relative to its parent planet in our solar system. Pluto's other moons are: Nix, Hydra, Kerberos, and Styx.
Charon (/ ˈ k ɛər ɒ n,-ə n / KAIR-on, -ən or / ˈ ʃ ær ə n / SHARR-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 largest of Pluto's five moons. At half the size of Pluto, Charon is the largest known satellite relative to its parent body. The same surfaces of Charon and Pluto always face each other, a phenomenon called mutual tidal locking. Charon orbits Pluto every 6.4 Earth days.
Feb 24, 2016 · Among the five moons of Pluto, it is the largest, Charon, that makes the dwarf planet unique. Charon is so big that, with Pluto, the pair are considered a binary planet system.
Oct 1, 2024 · Charon, largest moon of the dwarf planet Pluto. It was discovered telescopically on June 22, 1978, by James W. Christy and Robert S. Harrington at the U.S. Naval Observatory station in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Jun 22, 2015 · Charon is the largest and innermost moon of Pluto. It was discovered in 1978 by astronomer James Christy and is nearly 1/8 the mass of Pluto. It orbits a common centre of gravity with Pluto, and the two worlds are tidally locked together as they orbit. Pluto’s Moons (Size & Orbits)
6 days ago · Pluto - Charon, Nix, Hydra: Pluto possesses five known moons. Charon, by far the largest, is fully half the size of Pluto. It revolves around Pluto—more accurately, the two bodies revolve around a common centre of mass—at a distance of about 19,640 km (12,200 miles), equal to about eight Pluto diameters.
Oct 1, 2015 · NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has returned the best color and the highest resolution images yet of Pluto’s largest moon, Charon – and these pictures show a surprisingly complex and violent history.
