Animation of the Pluto-Charon system Pluto and its moon Charon are tidal locked. This means that the two bodies always face each other with the same side. As a result, Pluto "sees" only one side of Charon, and vice versa, Charon always shows Pluto the same side. Unlike most planetary systems, the barycenter of the Pluto-Charon system is located approximately 960 km from the surface of Pluto. This is due to the fact that Charon is relatively large compared to Pluto, its mass is about 12% of Pluto

The New Horizons #PlutoFlyby is giving us amazing views of Charon, Pluto’s largest moon, but let’s not forget about the 4 other moons in Pluto’s system. Watch today’s ‘Pluto in a Minute’ to learn more: https://youtu.be/yOmiqFo1HHQ | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Discovered 40 years ago today, Charon, the largest of Pluto's five moons, fueled the dwarf planet’s evolution from a telescopic dot into an actual planetary system – and a source of many discoveries yet to come: https://go.nasa.gov/2K0qb9D | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

What’s Inside the Kuiper Belt? 🪐 Frozen Edge of Our Solar System #Space #Astronomy Beyond Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt, a vast icy region stretching from 30 to 55 astronomical units from the Sun. This distant disk contains comets, dwarf planets like Pluto, and frozen debris left over from the formation of our solar system. Studying the Kuiper Belt helps scientists understand how planets formed and how the outer solar system evolved over billions of years. #KuiperBelt #SolarSystem #SpaceScience