Natural Satellite Of Pluto

Charon is named for the river styx boatman who ferries souls in the underworld as well as honoring sharon the wife of discoverer james christy.

Natural satellite of pluto. Charon the largest of the five moons is mutually tidally locked with pluto and is massive enough that pluto charon is sometimes considered a double dwarf planet. The largest charon is proportionally larger compared to its primary than any other satellite of a known planet or dwarf planet in the solar system. The dwarf planet pluto has five natural satellites. In the solar system there are six planetary satellite systems containing 205 known natural satellites.

The fourth satellite of pluto called kerberos p4 it is not visible in the 2005 image above. Pluto system with three visible satellites. Depending on the origin we talk about natural satellites e g. Natural satellites are commonly called moons.

The tiny moon p4 orbits pluto in 32 1 days. Pluto s moons are named for other mythological figures associated with the underworld. Since june 2011 another natural satellite was discovered by hubble. A majority of those moons belong to the planet of saturn the second most belonging to jupiter.

Young and leslie a. The tiny world has five moons of varying size in orbit around it that tumble and dance in. Pluto has five known moons. Buie william j merline john r.

Weaver alan stern max j. Contents show pluto s satellite system the innermost moon charon was discovered by james christy on 1978 june 22 nearly half a century after. Nix is named for the mother of charon who is also the goddess of darkness and night. Pluto haumea makemake and eris.

Satellite is a celestial body that circulates around the planet dwarf planet or planetoid. A natural satellite or moon is in the most common usage an astronomical body that orbits a planet or minor planet or sometimes another small solar system body. The other four moons nix styx kerberos and hydra are much smaller. The largest of these moons is ganymede which is one of the galilean moons.

It was discovered by hubble space telescope on 15 june 2005. In order of distance from pluto they are charon styx nix kerberos and hydra. Pluto the dwarf planet that was once considered the ninth planet has a growing entourage of satellites. It is a natural satellite of pluto.

Hydra is named for the nine headed serpent that guards the underworld. The dwarf planet pluto has four natural satellites or moons. See more information on moons here. Image taken by hubble on may 15 2005.

Four iau listed dwarf planets are also known to have natural satellites. In the solar system there are 219 satellites. The discover team composed of hal a.