Charon
A confirmed moon in the Pluto system.
Explore Charon in Orrery · Stand on Charon →
Physical measurements
- Mean radius
- 606 ± 0.5 kmmeasured · Source estimate; uncertainty is the source-reported standard error when available.
- GM · gravitational parameter
- 106.1 ± 0.3 km³ s⁻²measured · Source estimate; uncertainty is the source-reported standard error when available.
- Mass
- ≈ 1.5897e+21 ± 4.4950e+18 kgderived · GM/G; independent standard uncertainties combined in quadrature. No uncertainty is invented when the source omits GM uncertainty.
- Mean density
- ≈ 1.853 ± 0.004 g cm⁻³derived · JPL derives density from GM and volume-equivalent radius.
Orbit descriptions
Mean elements describe an average orbit. They are not positions for a chosen date.
PLU060 · equatorial plane · 2000-01-01.5 TDB
- Semimajor axis
- 19,600 km
- Sidereal period
- 6.38722 days
- Eccentricity
- 0
- Inclination to reference plane
- 0°
- Argument of periapsis
- 0°
- Mean anomaly
- 304.1°
- Ascending node
- 0°
- Apsidal / nodal precession periods
- — / — years
- Reference-plane pole RA / Dec
- — / —°
- Plane tilt to parent equator
- —°
- Reference center
- Not specified in this summary sourceThe summary table identifies a parent system but does not explicitly specify the reference center for each solution. Do not infer a physical-primary center, especially for Pluto’s circumbinary moons.
Orientation
NAIF-pck00011 supplies a modeled pole and prime meridian in the J2000 frame. A dated sky also needs compatible trajectories.
- Pole right ascension
- 132.993, 0, 0
- Pole declination
- -6.163, 0, 0
- Prime meridian
- 122.695, 56.3625225, 0
- Reference epoch
- JD 2451545 TDB
Identity & availability
- Stable catalog ID
- charon
- JPL / NAIF satellite ID
- 901
- Names & designations
- Charon · S/1978 P1
- Discovery / rediscovery years
- 1978J.W. Christy
No validated dated trajectory admitted in catalog 1.0.0. Mean elements are not ephemerides.
No image or global texture admitted in this catalog release.No environment measurements admitted in this catalog release.
Sources & evidence
- JPL discovery circumstancestable tr[462] (zero-based); pluto / Charon · References: IAU WGPSN
- JPL confirmed small-body satellitesdata[323].sat; primary=134340 · References: Smith (1978), IAUC 3241
- JPL physical parameters#sat_phys_par; Pluto / Charon / NAIF 901; mean radius · References: 2
- JPL physical parameters#sat_phys_par; Pluto / Charon / NAIF 901; GM · References: PLU060
- NIST CODATA 2022Table of universal constants, Newtonian constant of gravitationVerified numeric transcription; see acquisition notes in the download.
- JPL physical parameters#sat_phys_par; Pluto / Charon / NAIF 901; density · References: *
- JPL mean orbital elements#sat_elem row ID=455; Pluto / Charon / NAIF 901 · References: 6
- NAIF PCK 00011BODY901_POLE_RA/POLE_DEC/PM/NUT_PREC_*; BODY9_NUT_PREC_ANGLES; active data blocks
- NAIF PCK 00011BODY901_RADII; active data block
Full catalog, uncertainty and source manifests · All Pluto moons · Moon model limits