Hobbies And Interests
Orbit
Pluto and Charon orbit around each other like two balls rotating on a central axis in synchronous orbit. The same hemispheres, both on Pluto and Charon, are always facing each other. While the same hemisphere of the moon always faces the Earth, the synchronous orbit also means that Charon is always in the same spot in Pluto's sky. As they orbit each other, the binary dwarf planet also orbits the sun.
Atmosphere
Pluto and Charon are so close in size and orbit so closely to each other that scientists believe the two may share a common atmosphere. Parts of Pluto may be drawn off the dwarf planet and turned to solids on the surface of Charon. The two revolve around a point between them, so the only reason Charon is commonly called Pluto's moon is because it is the smaller of the two.
Formation
Astronomers believe the most likely cause of the formation of the binary planet was by a large object striking Pluto and forming Charon out of a chunk of Pluto's surface mass. This is similar to what scientists believe happened to form Earth's moon. Earth's moon is composed of materials very much like the Earth's crust rather than its core. While the Earth and moon orbit each other also, the center of the orbital axis is beneath the Earth's surface, so its moon is a true moon.
Classification
On August 24, 2006, Pluto formally lost its designation as a planet and was reclassified as part of a dwarf binary planet. At that same time, Charon shed its designation as a moon and was reclassified as the other part of the dwarf binary planet. The binary planet shares two genuine moons, Nix and Hydra. A genuine moon is a natural satellite that orbits a planet. Across the solar system, seven planetary moons, including that of Earth, are larger than Pluto.