NASA's New Horizons Focuses On Pluto's Largest Moon Charon

MarkWhittington writes: New Horizons has already discovered much of what was previously unknown about Pluto, the dwarf planet that is the former ninth planet from the sun. NASA reported that the space probe has also uncovered some of the secrets of Pluto's largest moon, Charon. It has found indications of impact craters on the moon's gray surface as well as a chasm that seems to be bigger than the Grand Canyon on Earth. Charon has a diameter of just 1440 miles. By contrast, Earth has a diameter of 7918 miles.

Comments

In SI Units

[codesmith.ca]

Charon has a diameter of just 2317 km. By contrast, Earth has a diameter of 12743 km.

(FTFY - assuming statute miles, not nautical miles.)

Re:In SI Units

[Anonymous Coward]

The conversion is fine, but the premise is wrong. Charon's diameter is just 750 miles, or 1207km. The dimensions given in TFS are for Pluto.

Re:In SI Units

[Anonymous Coward]

At US interstate speeds of 75 MPH, and a road going from one side to the other, you could drive through Charon in roughly 10 hours. Driving through Pluto would take roughly twice as long. According to Google, the drive from Seattle to Dallas is roughly 3 Charon diameters. Driving from Seattle to Houston would be similar to driving all the way around the surface of Charon once.

Re:Bigger than the Grand Canyon Taller than Everes

[SkyratesPlayer]

Actually, some mountains (notably Everest) and the deep sea trenches are there because of plate tectonics, not despite it.

Re:What is Pluto?

[Woeful Countenance]

It was also formerly the eighth planet from the sun, between 1979 and 1999.

Re:Then what?

[thermopile]

By using up about 35% of its remaining fuel budget, New Horizons will be able to visit a Kuiper Belt Object. Interestingly, that potential object was spotted just a few weeks after New Horizons launched.

Anticipated arrival date: January 2019. Be patient...