CHARON
INTRO:
Charon, first discovered in 1978, is the only known satellite of Pluto. Its discovery helped us learn more about Pluto and led to better understanding of the farthest planet from the Sun. Several things about Charon make it unique among the moons of the solar system. Besides being in synchronous orbit with Pluto, it is also believed that Pluto, Charon, and Triton, one of Neptune's moons, could actually be related to each other and are actually satellites for a bigger planet, such as Neptune.
top... DISCOVERY:
Charon was discovered by James W. Christy almost by accident. While studying pictures in an attempt to gain more knowledge on Pluto's orbit, Christy noticed a moving bulge. In one picture, it was in one position. In the next picture, the bulge had moved. Christy took this moving bulge to mean that Pluto had a satellite. More photographs verified the results. In keeping with the theme of death (Pluto is the god of the underworld.), Charon was named after the boatman who ferries the souls of the dead across the Styx River to the underworld. Christy also picked this name because it sounded much like his wife's nickname, Char. (This is also the cause of Charon's informal pronounciation as "SHAR-on".) For more on the discoveries of Pluto and Charon, click here.
top... THEORIES OF ORIGIN:
Long believed to be a double planet with Pluto, scientists now believe that Pluto, Charon, and Triton might actually be related to each other. Because Charon has a density between 1.2 to 1.3 g/cc and Pluto's density is higher at 1.8 to 2.1 g/cc, scientists believe that Charon is not very solid, containing small to no amount of rock. Pluto, on the other hand, is more solid and probably contains more rock. This reputes earlier theories that Pluto and Charon split from the same original mass. Most likely, they formed independently. top... |