Charon

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Source credit: NASA (New Horizons)

Charon: Binary Planet Moon of Pluto

Charon is the largest of the 5 moons of planet Pluto. Because of it's size (51% the size of Pluto), Pluto and Charon are considered a binary dwarf planet system. Both bodies are thought to have first collided with each other in the past and now orbit around each other. Charon has active water ice cryovolcanos and cryogeysers.

For a listing of all moons, see Moons of the Planets.

Charon Facts

1. Mass (kg)
2. 1.90 x 10²¹

1. Radius (km)
2. 586

1. Density (gm/cm³)
2. 1.83

1. Distance from planet (km)
2. 19,640

1. Rotational period (days)
2. 6.38725

1. Orbital period (days)
2. 6.38725

1. Orbital velocity (km/sec)
2. 0.23

1. Eccentricity of orbit
2. 0.0000

1. Inclination of orbit (°)
2. 98.80

1. Albedo
2. 0.5

1. Magnitude (Vo)
2. 16.8

1. Atmosphere