Astronomy › Section I · Giant planets, moons, and rings › Topic I.6
Pluto and Charon
Pluto was found by a patient search, called a planet for 76 years and then reclassified. When New Horizons finally flew past in 2015, this small, cold world and its giant moon turned out to be geologically alive.
In this topic
- The search for Planet X
- An odd orbit
- Planet or dwarf planet?
- Charon and the four small moons
- Worked example: weighing Pluto with Charon
- Worked example: a true double world
- New Horizons at Pluto
- A surprisingly active surface
- Charon's red cap
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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