Charon and Pluto
Charon (moon of Pluto) and Pluto (dwarf planet) side by side – to scale and in numbers.
| Charon | Pluto | Charon ÷ Pluto | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 1,212 km | 2,376 km | 0.51 × |
| Mass | 1.59 × 10²¹ kg | 1.30 × 10²² kg | 0.12 × |
| Surface gravity | 0.29 m/s² from GM and radius |
0.70 m/s² | 0.41 × |
| Density | 1,853 kg/m³ | 1,850 kg/m³ | 1.00 × |
| Mean temperature | – | -225 °C | |
| Mean distance from the Sun | 5.91 billion km with Pluto |
5.91 billion km | 1.00 × |
| Length of day | – | 6.4 days | |
| Year (orbit around the Sun) | 247.9 years with Pluto |
247.9 years | 1.00 × |
| Orbit around its planet | 6.39 days around Pluto |
– | |
| Known moons | – | 5 |
Data: NASA Planetary Fact Sheet, JPL SSD (planetary moons), JPL SBDB (dwarf planets) – public domain. Moon gravity is calculated from the JPL mass (GM) and radius; a moon’s “year” is its planet’s orbit around the Sun. A dash – no value in these sources.
⇄ Swap sides More about Charon More about Pluto