Space and Astronomy Atlas

How The Universe Works
Celestial Objects

Charon

Moon of Pluto

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Charon is the largest of Pluto's five moons, so large relative to Pluto that the two are mutually tidally locked, always presenting the same faces to each other.

Facts
Object Type
Moon 1
Diameter (km)
1214 1
Orbital Distance
19,640 km from Pluto 1
Discovery Year
1978 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Orbits

Sources
1. NASA Solar System Exploration
National Aeronautics and Space Administrationscience.nasa.gov, Pluto Moons: Charon
Quote, science.nasa.gov, Pluto Moons: Charon
The same surfaces of Charon and Pluto always face each other, a phenomenon called mutual tidal locking.
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