Planet Pluto and satellite Charon. What kind of planet is Charon?

In the solar system there are planets sosmall, that they are called - dwarfs. These include Pluto. But even small planets have satellites. Her biggest companion is Charon. But he is not one of a kind. There are others. Of course, they are not so great, but they are also of great importance.

In this article we will look at the features of Pluto and find out what Charon is, the satellite of this planet. Also talk about the rest, smaller satellites.

Planet Pluto

Until 2006, Pluto was on a par with the main planets of the solar system and was a full-fledged unit.

Now he was given the name dwarf planet, after which they began to believe that he is the largest object in the dark disk-shaped zone.

Once it became clear to scientists that Pluto is nota unique object of its environment, which are all the other planets located in the solar system. And that not one such object can be detected if we explore the space behind the orbit belonging to Neptune. And soon, indeed, a certain body was discovered, called Eris. It was a trans-Neptunian object that can be compared with Pluto. After this discovery, it became clear that in the world, in fact, there is no definition of a planet. And in 2006, the definition was approved, which includes three positions. According to him, those space objects that correspond only to two positions out of three receive the name of a dwarf planet. These are precisely the Pluto.

He got his name thanks to the girlEleven years old, who decided that the name of the god of the underworld is suitable for a distant, probably cold and dark planet, and told her grandfather about it. And already the grandfather conveyed the desire of his granddaughter to the observatory, where he was finally approved.

In 2006, the planet Pluto launched the device,called "New Horizons". It was the month of January. This device flew up 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 too slow transfer of information over such significant distances.

Features of the planet

Pluto has the shape of an ideal sphere. This discovery came as a surprise, as well as the discovery on the surface of various relief forms.

Более того, на планете имеются протяженные sites that are devoid of impact craters completely. Also known is the fact that the Pluto's glaciers are unevenly distributed over its surface, but it is still not clear why.

From Earth, the planet Pluto and satellite Charon, likethe remaining small satellites are removed quite strongly. Therefore, they are not well studied. There is an assumption that the surface of this planet has a base of rocky composition, which is covered with water ice, as well as frozen methane and nitrogen. It is the products arising from the photodissociation of methane that paint the planet red.

Revolving in its orbit, which is far from formcircle, Pluto can either get very close to the Sun, or, conversely, move away for a long distance. In the process of its approach, the glaciers melt and the atmosphere around the planet is formed, which consists of methane and nitrogen. The farther the planet moves away from the Sun, the less the atmosphere becomes, and in the end there remains only a slight haze, which, if you look at it with the naked eye, has a red tint. This is due to the fact that the glaciers are freezing again.

Pluto satellites. Charon and small satellites of the planet

Pluto has its natural satellites in the amount of five. The largest satellite Charon was discovered in 1978. Two smaller satellites, named Nikta and Hydra, were spotted in 2005.

The next was Kerber.Its discovery was due to the telescope "Hubble" in 2011. Finally, in 2012, scientists discovered that Pluto had a fifth satellite, called the Styx. All names of satellites in one way or another belong to the underground kingdom of Greek mythology.

Charon - the satellite of the planet Pluto

Charon got its name in honor of the carrier souls of dead people from the myths of ancient Greece. It was opened by an astrophysicist from the USA, James Christie. It happened at the Naval Observatory in 1978.

This satellite is very big.Its size is equivalent to half the size of Pluto itself. The distance separating him from the planet, which he accompanies, is almost twenty thousand kilometers. This is approximately as from London to Sydney.

Харон – спутник Плутона, который многие ученые began to be considered a small component of the binary system of planets. He was even given the name Pluto-1. The periods of rotation of Pluto and Charon are the same. Due to this phenomenon, they are always turned to one another by the same side. This phenomenon even got its name - tidal castle.

Satellite surface and composition

Companion Charon differs in its composition fromPluto In contrast to the planet, it is covered not by nitrogen, but by water ice. This is due to the fact that its surface temperature is below zero at 220 degrees Celsius. But also the reasons for such a composition include the fact that Charon is not so massive as to hold volatile compounds. The satellite color is more neutral, grayish. According to the existing theory, Charon was formed from fragments of Pluto itself that were in orbit. Also, many scientists believe that the atmosphere of Pluto and Charon is related.

Sputnik Nikta

Charon - the largest satellite of Pluto, but there are others. One of them is nikta. The discovery of this satellite was made public 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 not yet any information about the exact dimensions of the Nikta, but presumably it is smaller than the Hydra. This is indicated by a darker surface color.

Hydra

If you carefully review the existing images,then you can see that the Hydra is located on 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 dimensions of this satellite. Scientists only assume that the size of its diameter is in the range from 52 to 160 kilometers.

The surface of the Hydra is brighter than that of Nikta.At about 25%. This suggests that its reflectivity is higher, which means that its dimensions are larger. The satellite received its name in honor of the monster from Greek mythology, which has a hundred heads.

Kerber and Styx

The fourth satellite of Pluto is calledKerber, also obtained in honor of the mythical character of the underworld. Before the opening of the fifth satellite was considered the smallest. Its estimated diameter is 13-34 kilometers.

The opening of the Cerberus was made thanks toHubble Space Telescope. The orbit in which the fourth satellite produces its rotation is located between the nikta and hydra orbits. Makes a revolution around the planet in thirty one days.

The smallest size has the fifth satellite Styx.Presumably its diameter is between 10 and 25 kilometers. Rotation of this satellite produces in orbit, located between the orbits of Charon and Nyx. His resonance with Charon is one to three. His name is obliged 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 have learned which planet’s satellite is Charon, what are its characteristics, size and composition. Now to the question: "Charon is the satellite of what planet?" - you surely answer: "Pluto". By the way, one of the theories of the origin of satellites around Pluto suggests that all of them were formed as a result of the collision of this planet with some large object from the Kuiper belt. Unfortunately, today there is practically nothing more to know about these amazing objects. After all, Pluto is not only too far from the Earth, but also has not very good reflectivity.