There are planets so small in the solar system that they are called dwarfs. These include Pluto. But even small planets have satellites. Her largest companion is Charon. But he is not one of a kind. There are others. Of course, they are not so large, but they are also of great importance.
In this article we will look at the features of Pluto and find out what Charon, the satellite of this planet, is. We also talk about the rest, smaller companions.
Planet pluto
Until 2006, Pluto was on a par with the main planets of the solar system and was a complete unit.
Now he was given the name dwarf planet, after which they began to believe that he was the largest object of a dark disk-shaped zone.
Once it became clear to scientists that Pluto is not a unique object of its environment, which are all other planets located in the solar system. And that not one such object can be found if you explore the space beyond the orbit belonging to Neptune. And soon, a certain body, called Eris, was indeed discovered. It was a trans-Neptune object, which can be compared with Pluto. After this discovery, it became clear that in the world, in fact, there is no definition of the planet. And in 2006, a definition was approved that included three items. According to him, those space objects that correspond to only two out of three positions get the name of a dwarf planet. Pluto is one of those.
It got its name thanks to a girl of eleven, who decided that the name of the god of the underworld would be suitable for a distant, probably cold and dark planet, and told her grandfather about it. And already the grandfather conveyed the desire of the granddaughter to the observatory, where he was finally approved.
In 2006, an apparatus called the New Horizons was launched to the planet Pluto. It was the month of January. This device flew to the planet at a distance of twelve thousand kilometers and accumulated a large amount of information about it. All these data are gradually transmitted to scientists. This is due to the too slow transmission of information over such large distances.
Planet features
Pluto has the shape of an ideal sphere. This discovery was a surprise, as well as the discovery of various relief forms on the surface.
Moreover, on the planet there are extended sections that are completely devoid of impact craters. It is also known that Pluto's glaciers are unevenly distributed on its surface, but it is still not clear why.
The planet Pluto and the Charon satellite, as well as other small satellites, are far enough away from Earth. Therefore, they are not very well studied. There is an assumption that the surface of this planet has a rocky base, which is covered with water ice, as well as frozen methane and nitrogen. It is the products arising from the photodissociation of methane that color the planet red.
Rotating in its orbit, which is far from the shape of a circle, Pluto can either come very close to the Sun, or, conversely, move away a great distance. In the process of its approaching, glaciers melt and atmosphere forms around the planet, which consists of methane and nitrogen. The farther the planet moves away from the Sun, the smaller the atmosphere becomes, and in the end there is only a small haze, which, if you look at it with the naked eye, has a red tint. This is due to the fact that the glaciers freeze again.
Satellites of Pluto. Charon and the small satellites of the planet
Pluto has five natural satellites. Charon's largest satellite was discovered in 1978. Two smaller satellites, called Nikta and Hydra, were spotted in 2005.
The next was Kerber. Its discovery was due to the Hubble telescope in 2011. And finally, in 2012, scientists discovered the presence of Pluto's fifth satellite, which was called Styx. All names of satellites in one way or another relate to the underworld of Greek mythology.
Charon - satellite of the planet Pluto
Charon got its name in honor of the carrier of the souls of dead people from the myths of ancient Greece. It was discovered by James Christie, an astrophysicist from the USA. It happened at the Naval Observatory in 1978.
This satellite is very large. Its size is equal to half the size of Pluto itself. The distance separating him from the planet, which he accompanies, is almost twenty thousand kilometers. Itβs like from London to Sydney.
Charon is a satellite of Pluto, which many scientists have begun to consider as a small component of the binary system of planets. He was even given the name Pluto-1. The rotation periods of Pluto and Charon are the same. Thanks to this phenomenon, they are always turned to each other on the same side. This phenomenon even got its name - tidal castle.
Satellite surface and composition
The satellite Charon is different in composition from Pluto. Unlike the planet, it is not covered with nitrogen, but with water ice. This is due to the fact that its surface temperature is below zero by 220 degrees Celsius. But also the reasons for this composition include the fact that Charon is not so massive as to retain volatile compounds. The color of the satellite is more neutral, grayish. According to existing theory, Charon was formed from the fragments of Pluto that were in orbit. Also, many scientists believe that the atmosphere of Pluto and Charon is connected.
Sputnik Nikta
Charon is the largest satellite of Pluto, but there are others. One of them is Nikta. The discovery of this satellite was released in 2005, October 31. He owes his name to the goddess of eternal night.
The orbit on which the satellite is located is circular. There is so far no information about the exact dimensions of Nikta, but presumably it is smaller than Hydra. This is evidenced by the darker color of the surface.
Hydra
If you carefully examine the existing images, you can see that the Hydra is located in the same plane as the Charon satellite. The distance between Pluto and Hydra is approximately 65 thousand kilometers. There is no data on the exact size of this satellite. Scientists only suggest that its diameter is in the range of 52 to 160 kilometers.
The surface of Hydra is brighter than Nikta. About 25%. This suggests that its reflectivity is higher, which means that the dimensions are larger. The satellite got its name in honor of the monster from Greek mythology, which has a hundred goals.
Kerber and Styx
The fourth satellite of Pluto is called Kerber, also obtained in honor of the mythical character of the underworld. Before the discovery of the fifth satellite, it was considered the smallest. Its estimated diameter is 13-34 kilometers.
The discovery of Kerber was made thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope. The orbit, in which the fourth satellite rotates, is located between the orbits of Nikty and Hydra. It circulates the planet in thirty-one days.
The smallest size is the fifth satellite Styx. Presumably, its diameter is between 10 and 25 kilometers. This satellite rotates in an orbit located between the orbits of Charon and Nikta. His resonance with Charon is one to three. Its name is due to the river, which in the myths of ancient Greece separates two worlds - the living and the dead. It was also discovered thanks to Hubble in June 2012.
This article has addressed many issues. We found out which planet Charon is a satellite of, what are its features, sizes and composition. Now to the question: "Charon is a satellite of which planet?" - you confidently answer: "Pluto." By the way, one of the theories of the appearance of satellites around Pluto suggests that they all formed as a result of a collision of this planet with some large object from the Kuiper belt. Unfortunately, to date, almost nothing else can be found out about these amazing objects. After all, Pluto is not only too far from the Earth, but also does not have a very good reflectivity.