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Moons of Pluto

The dwarf planet Pluto has five natural satellites.[1] In order of distance from Pluto, they are Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra.[2] Charon, the largest, is mutually tidally locked with Pluto, and is massive enough that Pluto and Charon are sometimes considered a binary dwarf planet.[3]

Pluto and its five moons, including the location of the system's barycenter. Sizes and distances of the bodies are to scale.

Pluto and its five moons, including the location of the system's barycenter. Sizes and distances of the bodies are to scale.

Exploration[edit]

The Pluto system was visited by the New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. Images with resolutions of up to 330 meters per pixel were returned of Nix and up to 1.1 kilometers per pixel of Hydra. Lower-resolution images were returned of Styx and Kerberos.[40]

Stern, S. A.; Weaver, H. A.; Steffl, A. J.; Mutchler, M. J.; Merline, W. J.; Buie, M. W.; Young, E. F.; Young, L. A.; Spencer, J. R. (2005). "Characteristics and Origin of the Quadruple System at Pluto". :astro-ph/0512599.

arXiv

Steffl, A. J.; Mutchler, M. J.; Weaver, H. A.; Stern, S. A.; Durda, D. D.; Terrell, D.; Merline, W. J.; Young, L. A.; Young, E. F.; Buie, M. W.; Spencer, J. R. (2006). "New Constraints on Additional Satellites of the Pluto System". The Astronomical Journal. 132 (2): 614–619. :astro-ph/0511837. Bibcode:2006AJ....132..614S. doi:10.1086/505424. S2CID 10547358.

arXiv

Buie, Marc W.; Grundy, William M.; Young, Eliot F.; Young, Leslie A.; Stern, S. Alan (2006). "Orbits and Photometry of Pluto's Satellites: Charon, S/2005 P1, and S/2005 P2". The Astronomical Journal. 132 (1): 290–298. :astro-ph/0512491. Bibcode:2006AJ....132..290B. doi:10.1086/504422. S2CID 119386667.

arXiv

Brozović, Marina; Showalter, Mark R.; Jacobson, Robert A.; Buie, Marc W. (2015). "The orbits and masses of satellites of Pluto". Icarus. 246: 317–329. :2015Icar..246..317B. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.03.015.

Bibcode

Codex Regius (2016), Pluto & Charon, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform  978-1534960749

ISBN

describing the discovery of 2005 P1 and P2

IAU Circular No. 8625

reporting a more neutral color for 2005 P2

IAU Circular No. 8686

announcing the names of Nix and Hydra

IAU Circular No. 8723

– The website of the discoverers of Nix and Hydra

Background Information Regarding Our Two Newly Discovered Satellites of Pluto

: Pluto Moons

Scott S. Sheppard

Interactive 3D visualisation of the Plutonian system

Animation of the Plutonian system

(NASA)

Hubble Spots Possible New Moons Around Pluto

(SPACE.com)

Two More Moons Discovered Orbiting Pluto

New Horizons Mission Site