- Additional Information
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Additional Information
Short Description Charon is the largest of the five known moons of the dwarf planet Pluto. With half the diameter and one eighth the mass of Pluto, it is a very large moon in comparison to its parent body. Its gravitational influence is such that the barycenter of the Pluto–Charon system lies outside Pluto. Charon and Pluto orbit each other every 6.387 days. The two objects are gravitationally locked to one another, so each keeps the same face towards the other. Unlike Pluto's surface, which is composed of nitrogen and methane ices, Charon's surface appears to be dominated by the less volatile water ice. Charon (moon) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Discovered by James Walter Christy Discovery date 22 June 1978 Type Moon AddInfo Pluto I Satellite of Pluto Minor planet number (134340) Pluto I Orbit Prograde Rotation Synchronous Atmosphere Trace Shape Equilibrium spheroid Geological activity In the past Apoapsis 05 19 572 km Periapsis 05 19 570 km Semi-major axis 05 19 571.4 ± 4.0 km Distance from Sun 02 39.54 au /1 Eccentricity 0.000 Orbital period 6.387 230 days | 6 days 9 hour 17 min 36.7 s Orbital speed 0.21 km/s Inclination to the ecliptic 112.783° Inclination to the equator 000.001° Longitude of the ascending node 223.046° Diameter/Size 04 1 208.0 ± 3.0 km Mass 1021×1.586 kg | 12.2% of Pluto Density 01 1.707 g/cm3 Surface gravity 0.288 m/s2 Escape velocity 03 604 m/s Rotation period 6.387 230 days Axial tilt 0° Albedo geometric 0.2 to 0.5 at a solar phase angle of 15° Temperature mean 02 53 K | −220 °C Apparent magnitude 16.8 Absolute magnitude 1 - Comments
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