Pluto · natural satellite of a dwarf planet

Charon

Mean diameter: 1,212 km
Mean orbital distance: 19,600 km from centre
Orbital period: 6.387 Earth days

Compared with our Moon

Charon · 1,212 km

Moon · 3,474.8 km

One diameter scale. Circle shapes compare volume-equivalent diameters; irregular moons are not spheres.

Orbit & discovery

Surface gravity: 0.289 m/s²
Discovery: 1978
Discoverer / team: J.W. Christy
Provisional designation: S/1978 P1
JPL satellite ID: 901
Orbital eccentricity: 0
Inclination: 0 degrees

Inclination reference: equatorial. Mean-element epoch: 2000-01-01.5 TDB · PLU060.

Diameters use volume-equivalent mean radii, including for irregular bodies. Mean orbital elements describe an orbit; they are not live positions. Missing physical measurements remain unavailable.

Physical measurements & uncertainties

Mean radius · km: 606.0 ±0.5 [2]
GM · km³/s²: 106.1 ±0.3 [PLU060]
Density · g/cm³: 1.853 ±0.004 [*]

Missions in the Pluto system · 1 records

1 launches · 0 linked events

These records cover the planetary system. A system mission did not necessarily visit this moon. Dedicated targets are marked separately; programme events include the journey and briefings. Launch outcomes do not establish arrival, landing success or present spacecraft operation.

Dedicated targets only

PLANETARY SYSTEM

New Horizons

January 19, 2006 · UTC

United Launch Alliance · Atlas V 551

1 records from the complete 9,386‑record production catalogue.

Sources & measurements