National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Administration

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Pluto and Charon

[Link]
Pluto’s discovery in 1930 resulted from an attempt to find a In 2005, scientists photographing Pluto with the Hubble Space Density (Pluto) 2.03 g/cm3
planet beyond Neptune that was theorized to be disturbing the Telescope in preparation for the New Horizons mission found Gravity 0.65 m/sec2 (2.1 ft/sec2)
orbits of Uranus and Neptune. Astronomers initially calculated two tiny moons orbiting in the same plane as Charon, but two to Atmosphere Primary Components nitrogen, carbon
Pluto’s mass based on its presumed effect on the two giant outer three times farther away from Pluto than Charon. Named Nix and monoxide, methane
planets. With the 1978 discovery of Pluto’s large moon, Charon, Hydra, the two moons are thought to be perhaps 50 to 100 ki- Surface Temperature –233 to –223 deg C
astronomers could compute Pluto’s mass for the first time, and lometers (31 to 62 miles) in diameter. In 2011, Hubble observ- (–387 to –369 deg F)
it proved to be far too small to account for discrepancies in the ers found an even smaller moon (later named Kerberos), and in Known Moons* 5
orbits of Uranus or Neptune. 2012, yet another tiny moon was discovered (later named Styx). Rings None known
The space telescope is being used to scour the Pluto system
Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet and is also a member of a *As of July 2013.
to uncover potential orbital debris hazards to the New Horizons
group of objects that orbit in a disc-like zone beyond the orbit of
spacecraft, which will be traveling at about 48,280 kilometers
Neptune called the Kuiper Belt. This distant realm is populated SIGNIFICANT DATES
per hour (30,000 miles per hour). The New Horizons team may
with thousands of miniature icy worlds, which formed early in the 1930 — Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto.
be able to plan observations of these newly discovered moons.
history of the solar system. These icy, rocky bodies are called 1977–1999 — Pluto’s lopsided orbit brings it slightly closer to
By July 2013, the spacecraft was halfway to Pluto — beyond the
Kuiper Belt objects or transneptunian objects. the Sun than Neptune. It will be at least 230 years before Pluto
orbit of Uranus and heading for its Pluto rendezvous in 2015.
Pluto’s 248-year-long elliptical orbit can take it as far as moves inward of Neptune’s orbit for 20 years.
Charon’s orbit around Pluto takes 6.4 Earth days, and one Pluto 1978 — American astronomers James Christy and Robert Har-
49.3 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun. (One AU is the mean
rotation (a Pluto day) takes 6.4 Earth days. Charon neither rises rington discover Pluto’s unusually large moon, Charon.
distance between Earth and the Sun: about 150 million kilome-
nor sets but “hovers” over the same spot on Pluto’s surface, 1988 — Astronomers discover that Pluto has an atmosphere.
ters or 93 million miles.) From 1979 to 1999, Pluto was actually
and the same side of Charon always faces Pluto — this is called 2005 — Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope announce
closer to the Sun than Neptune, and in 1989, Pluto came to
tidal locking. Compared with most of the planets and moons, the the discovery of two additional moons of Pluto.
within 29.7 AU of the Sun, providing rare opportunities to study
Pluto–Charon system is tipped on its side, like Uranus. Pluto’s 2006 — NASA’s New Horizons mission launches to explore Pluto
this small, cold, distant world. Pluto’s orbit occasionally brings it
rotation is retrograde: it rotates “backwards,” from east to west and the Kuiper Belt region.
closer to the Sun than the Kuiper Belt.
(Uranus and Venus also have retrograde rotation). It isn’t known 2011–2012 — Three more small moons are found, bringing the
Pluto is about two-thirds the diameter of Earth’s Moon. Exotic whether Pluto has a magnetic field, but its small size and slow total of known moons to five.
ices like methane and nitrogen frost coat its surface. Owing to rotation suggest little or no magnetic field.
its size and lower density, Pluto’s mass is about one-sixth that of ABOUT THE IMAGES
Because Pluto and its family of moons are so small and far
Earth’s Moon. Its density indicates that it is partially composed 1 Pluto, Charon
away, they are extremely difficult to observe from Earth. Careful 1 2
of ices, not rocky materials. Pluto is more massive than Ceres — (just below and to the
analyses of images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope have
the dwarf planet that resides in the asteroid belt between Mars right of Pluto), and the
allowed astronomers to make rudimentary maps showing areas 3
and Jupiter — by a factor of 20. tiny moons Nix and
of relative brightness and darkness.
Hydra were imaged
When Pluto is close to the Sun, its surface ices thaw, rise, and 4 by the Hubble Space
temporarily form a thin atmosphere. Pluto’s low gravity (about FAST FACTS
Telescope.
6 percent of Earth’s) causes the atmosphere to be much more Namesake Roman god of the underworld
2 Astronomers investigating a changing bulge in Pluto images
extended in altitude than our planet’s atmosphere. Pluto Mean Distance from the Sun 5,906.38 million km
eventually determined that Pluto had a companion — Charon, a
becomes much colder during the part of each orbit when it is (3,670.05 million mi)
large moon nearly half Pluto’s size.
traveling far away from the Sun, and it is thought that the bulk of Orbit Period 247.92 Earth years
the planet’s atmosphere freezes during this time. (90,553 Earth days) 3 The Hubble Space Telescope resolved Pluto and Charon as
Orbit Eccentricity (Circular Orbit = 0) 0.2488 separate discs in the 1990s, enabling better measurements of
Pluto’s very large moon, Charon, is almost half the size of Pluto. both bodies.
Orbit Inclination to Ecliptic 17.14 deg
Charon is so big that the two are sometimes referred to as a
Inclination of Equator to Orbit 119.61 deg 4 Surface maps of Pluto created from Hubble Space Tele-
double dwarf planet system. The distance between them is
Rotation Period 6.387 Earth days (retrograde) scope images reveal a complex-looking world with white, dark-
19,640 kilometers (12,200 miles). The Hubble Space Telescope
Equatorial Radius (Pluto) 1,180 km (733 mi) orange, and charcoal-black terrain.
photographed Pluto and Charon in 1994 when Pluto was about
Equatorial Radius (Charon) 600 km (373 mi)
30 AU from Earth. These photos showed that Charon is grayer
Mass 0.0022 of Earth’s FOR MORE INFORMATION
than Pluto (which is red), indicating that they have different
surface compositions and structure. [Link]/pluto

LG-2013-07-579-HQ — JPL 400-1489R 07/13