Improved Orbital and Physical Parameters for the Pluto-Charon System
- 31 July 1987
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 237 (4814) , 512-514
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.237.4814.512
Abstract
Analysis of the observations of several Pluto-Charon occultation and transit events in 1985 and 1986 has provided a more detailed knowledge of the system. The sum of the radii of Pluto and Charon is 1786 ± 19 kilometers, but the individual radii are somewhat more poorly determined; Pluto is 1145 ± 46 kilometers in radius and Charon is 642 ± 34 kilometers in radius. The mean density of the system is 1.84 ± 0.19 grams per cubic centimeter, implying that more than half of the mass is due to rock. Charon appears to have hemispheres of two different colors, the Pluto-facing side being neutral in color and the opposite hemisphere being a reddish color similar to Pluto.Keywords
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