Charon
Charon
Moon of Pluto
Charon facts
- Orbits
- Pluto
- Distance from Pluto
- 19,591 km (16.5 Pluto-radii)
- Orbital period
- 6.4 days
- Diameter
- 1,212 km
- Mass
- 1.59 × 10²¹ kg
- Orbital inclination
- 0.08°
- Tidally locked
- Yes
- Discovered
- 1978, by James Christy
Charon orbits Pluto
Watch Charon (highlighted) circle Pluto. Press play; the moons run at their real relative speeds.
Relative sizes and spacing are compressed; orbits shown coplanar. Click a moon for its page.
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About Charon
Charon is Pluto's largest moon, over half Pluto's size, so big that the two are mutually tidally locked and swing around a shared point in space between them, behaving almost like a double planet. New Horizons revealed a dark reddish polar cap on Charon in 2015.
- Named after the ferryman of the dead in Greek myth
- Discovered: 1978, by James Christy
Charon: frequently asked questions
- What is Charon?
- Charon is Pluto's largest moon, over half Pluto's size, so big that the two are mutually tidally locked and swing around a shared point in space between them, behaving almost like a double planet.
- What planet does Charon orbit?
- Charon orbits Pluto at an average distance of about 19,591 km, completing one lap every 6.4 days.
- How big is Charon?
- Charon has a diameter of about 1,212 km and a mass of roughly 1.59 × 10²¹ kg.
- Why is Charon famous?
- Charon's claim to fame: so large relative to Pluto that the two are mutually tidally locked and orbit a point in empty space between them.
See Charon in motion
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Data from NASA/JPL and NSSDCA. Source.