Charon (moon)
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Charon, formal designation Pluto I, is the largest of the five known natural satellites of the dwarf planet Pluto. It has a mean radius of 606 km. Charon is a planetary-mass moon and the sixth-largest
Charon's discovery at the Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station as a time-varying bulge on the image of Pluto (seen near the top at left, but absent on the right). Negative image.
Size comparisons: Earth, the Moon, and Charon
Comparison between Pluto's Sputnik Planitia and Charon's informally named Vulcan Planitia
Charon's night side seen by New Horizons
Moons of Pluto
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There are five known moons of the dwarf planet Pluto. In order of distance from Pluto, they are Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra. Charon, the largest, is mutually tidally locked with Pluto, and
Charon (moon)
…Charon ( KAIR-on, -ən or SHARR-ən), formal designation (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 a planetary-mass moon and the sixth-largest known trans-Neptunian object…
Charon and Pluto, to scale. Photo taken by New Horizons on approach.
The Hubble discovery image of Nix and Hydra
Discovery image of Styx, overlaid with orbits of the satellite system
Formation of Pluto's moons. 1: a Kuiper belt object approaches Pluto; 2: it collides with Pluto; 3: a dust ring forms around Pluto; 4: the debris aggregates to form Charon; 5: Pluto and Charon relax into spherical bodies.