The “demoted” dwarf planet Pluto and its largest moon Charon make an unusual pair, and for decades, scientists have been discussing how the binary system—in which each mutually orbits the ...

The two bodies would have stayed mostly intact and then later separated into Pluto and its biggest moon. The computer models also agree with how Charon orbits Pluto, making it a tidy and compellin ...

While Charon is currently listed as a satellite or moon by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), consideration is being given to it perhaps being classified as a dwarf planet in its own right, ...

This composite image of Pluto, right, and Charon, its largest moon, showcases photos captured by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI Unlike how scientists ...

A new study suggests that the origin of Pluto's largest moon was quite different than our own. Here's what you need to know.

Pluto and Charon actually form a binary system. Whereas a moon usually orbits a planet, both Pluto and Charon orbit a point in space between them — their common center of mass. The other four ...

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Unlike Earth, where the Moon orbits the planet, Pluto and Charon orbit each other, forming a binary system that is more similar to the Earth-moon system than any other moon in the solar system.

For decades, astronomers have tried to determine how Pluto acquired its unusually large moon Charon, which is about half the size of the dwarf planet. Now, new research suggests that Pluto and ...

Pluto and Charon, however, are very different from our Earth and moon. While the moon clearly orbits Earth, Pluto and Charon orbit each other. “Charon is HUGE relative to Pluto, to the point ...