Charon also has an abnormally circular orbit of Pluto, with its orbital eccentricity (a value between 0 and 1, where 0 is a perfect circle and 1 is an open-ended parabola) only being about 0.000161.

New research suggests that billions of years ago, Pluto may have captured its largest moon, Charon, with a very brief icy "kiss." The theory could explain how the dwarf planet (yeah, we wish Pluto ...

Astro Brief is a collaboration between KSMU, the Missouri Space Grant, and MSU's Department of Physics, Astronomy and ...

Pluto was always in a tough spot when it came to being a planet. Just 1,477 miles across, it's only one-fifth the diameter of Earth. It did have five known moons: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and ...

But on Charon, Pluto's nearest moon, they found this most familiar of geological features. There was more, on Pluto itself, that recalled the American mid-west. Dark streaks on Pluto's plains ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Jamie Carter is an award-winning reporter who covers the night sky.

Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen Peroxide on Pluto's Moon Charon Oct. 1, 2024 — Astronomers have detected carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on the frozen surface of Pluto's largest moon ...

Pluto, with its heart-shaped glacier, as captured by the New Horizons spacecraftJPL/NASA Pluto will mark a birthday of sorts on March 23, 2178. No one is likely to be there to celebrate it, of ...