ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Space → Astronomy

Pluto had its moment – now Charon, Pluto’s Moon is in the spotlight

Dragos MitricabyDragos Mitrica
July 16, 2015
in Astronomy, News, Science, Space
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

RelatedPosts

Pluto’s Moon may have harbored underground ocean
Pluto is a planet after all, say planetary scientists
NASA’s solar-powered Juno shuttle breaks record distance at 793 million km from the Sun
What flying at New Horizons’ speed would look like here on Earth

OK, we all know New Horizons zoomed past Pluto, took some breathtaking pictures and then called back home to tell us everything’s fine. But let’s switch our attention a bit and focus on Charon – Pluto’s Moon that’s just as mysterious as its name implies.

Image via NASA.

Charon is the largest of the five known moons of the dwarf planet Pluto, at about 11% of the mass of Pluto. It was named after the ferryman in Greek mythology who would take people’s souls to Hades. Now, as NASA is receiving more and more data taken by the New Horizons, we’re getting the chance to look at more and more detailed pictures of Charon; one of them in particular has sparked researchers’ interest.

The latest sliver shows a 200-mile-long portion of Charon that shows some striking geological features: specifically, we see a deep depression with a high mountain rising out of it. It’s like a geological castle.

“The most intriguing feature is a large mountain sitting in a moat,” Jeff Moore, who leads New Horizons’ Geology, Geophysics and Imaging team, said in a statement. “This is a feature that has geologists stunned and stumped.”

Charon is also pummeled with impact craters, something which can’t be said about Pluto. Actually, let’s go back to Pluto for a second. The presence of mountains on the dwarf planet, along with the absence of impact craters seems to suggests active uplift phenomenon, which is extremely interesting, because there’s no apparent mechanism driving it. Oh, and whatever may drive it, Charon doesn’t have it, so the mystery deepens.

But this doesn’t mean that Charon isn’t active geologically. A previous image has already revealed a large smooth region in Charon’s southern hemisphere suggesting the contrary.

NASA plans to release even more high-resolution images of Charon’s surface in the coming days.

Tags: Charonnew horizonspluto

ShareTweetShare
Dragos Mitrica

Dragos Mitrica

Dragos has been working in geology for six years, and loving every minute of it. Now, his more recent focus is on paleoclimate and climatic evolution, though in his spare time, he also dedicates a lot of time to chaos theory and complex systems.

Related Posts

Pluto and Charon
News

Pluto and its Moon Charon Formed Through a Cosmic “Kiss and Capture”

byJordan Strickler
4 months ago
Great Pics

Pluto in Focus: From Pixelated Smudge to Stunning, Geology-Rich World

byMihai Andrei
5 months ago
Astronomy

Pluto’s Moon Charon Just Got More Fascinating After JWST Finds Carbon Dioxide

byMihai Andrei
8 months ago
Planets

Why Pluto should be considered a planet

byTibi Puiu
2 years ago

Recent news

The Worm That Outsourced Locomotion to Its (Many) Butts

May 16, 2025

The unusual world of Roman Collegia — or how to start a company in Ancient Rome

May 16, 2025
Merton College, University of Oxford. Located in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. Original public domain image from Wikimedia Commons

For over 500 years, Oxford graduates pledged to hate Henry Symeonis. So, who is he?

May 16, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.