What are the Moons of Pluto?
Pluto, formerly the ninth planet in the Solar System, now merely the second dwarf planet, is known to possess three moons. By far the largest is Charon, with a diameter of 1,207 km (750 miles), just over half that of Pluto. Charon is so comparably large it is sometimes considered to be part of a dual dwarf planet system with Pluto rather than as a satellite. This is because the barycenter (gravitational center of mass) of the system is located outside rather than within Pluto. Pluto’s other two moons, Nix and Hydra, have diameters of 46−137 km and 61−167 km respectively. The diameters of these satellites cannot be determined for sure because they are too small and distant for contemporary telescopes to resolve. Pluto, being named after the Roman god of the underworld, has its satellites named after minor figures found in the underworld of Roman mythology. Charon, for example, is named after a ferryman who took the souls of the dead across the river Styx to their final resting place, Ha
Pluto, formerly the ninth planet in the Solar System, now merely the second dwarf planet, is known to possess three moons. By far the largest is Charon, with a diameter of 1,207 km (750 miles), just over half that of Pluto. Charon is so comparably large it is sometimes considered to be part of a dual dwarf planet system with Pluto rather than as a satellite. This is because the barycenter (gravitational center of mass) of the system is located outside rather than within Pluto. Pluto’s other two moons, Nix and Hydra, have diameters of 46−137 km and 61−167 km respectively. The diameters of these satellites cannot be determined for sure because they are too small and distant for contemporary telescopes to resolve. Pluto, being named after the Roman god of the underworld, has its satellites named after minor figures found in the underworld of Roman mythology. Charon, for example, is named after a ferryman who took the souls of the dead across the river Styx to their final resting place
