Charon

A large partner

Pluto’s main moon is about half the diameter of its companion.

Educational illustration · shapes and sizes are not to scale.

Orbiting: Pluto
Category: Natural satellite

What makes this world interesting

Pluto and Charon always show the same face to each other. Their shared period is about 6.4 days.

Observe or explore it

Separating it from Pluto is beyond ordinary amateur observation. New Horizons revealed the diversity of its terrain.

Connect the discoveries

Pluto

Sources and reference information

NASA Science — Charon

Rounded educational data, sources consulted on 18 October 2026. Orbital distances are mean reference distances from the Sun, not current distances from Earth. Periods are expressed in Earth time. The planner provides date-specific positions for supported targets.