The planet Pluto has three known natural satellites, Charon, Nix and Hydra.
Charon was first discovered by astronomer James Christy in 1978.
We know little about Pluto, and we know less about its only moon, Charon.
Pluto’s moon is about one-half the size of its host planet: 739 miles (1,182 km) in diameter.
It orbits Pluto’s equator at a height of 12,000 miles (19,200 km).
Charon orbits Pluto in 6.4 days, which is the same as the planet’s rotational period.
This means that Pluto and Charon are gravitationally bound together, like two ends of a barbell.
