1 min read
The Pluto System – May 18, 2005
About the Object
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.Although its orbit is highly eccentric, Pluto's average distance from the Sun is 39.44 Astronomical Units (A.U.) or roughly 3.6 billion miles (5.9 billion kilometers).
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.Pluto has a diameter of roughly 1,475 miles (2,280 km) at the equator.
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.These HST data are from proposal 10427: H.A. Weaver (JHU/APL), M.W. Buie (Lowell Obs.), S.A. Stern, J.R. Spencer, E. Young, and L.A. Young (SwRI); and proposal 9391: M.W. Buie and W.M. Grundy (Lowell Obs.), E. Young, L.A. Young, and S.A. Stern (SwRI). M. Mutchler (STScI) and A.J. Steffl (SwRI) are also on the science team. - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>ACS/WFC
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.May 18, 2005
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F606W (V)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Pluto
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Dwarf Planet
- Release DateOctober 31, 2005
- Science ReleaseNASA’s Hubble Reveals Possible New Moons Around Pluto
- Credit
Related Images & Videos
Possible New Moons Orbiting Pluto
These Hubble Space Telescope images, taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys, reveal Pluto, its large moon Charon, and the planet's two new candidate satellites. Between May 15 and May 18, 2005, Charon, and the putative moons, provisionally designated P1 and P2, all appear to...
An Artist's View of the Pluto System
This illustration shows the Pluto system from the surface of one of the candidate moons. The other members of the Pluto system are just above the putative moon's surface. Pluto is the large disk at center, right. Charon, the system's only confirmed moon, is the smaller disk to...
Pluto's Moon May Have Company
Hubble reveals two previously undetected satellites likely orbiting Pluto in the same plane as Pluto's moon, Charon. The two objects are estimated to have diameters between 40 and 125 miles (64 and 200 kilometers) and orbit roughly 27,000 miles (43,000 kilometers) from Pluto.
Hubble Views the Pluto System
These Hubble Space Telescope images, taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys, reveal Pluto, its large moon Charon, and the planet's two new putative satellites. In the short-exposure image [left], taken June 11, 2002, the candidate moons cannot be seen. They do, however, appear...
The Pluto system on June 14, 2002
A careful search of Hubble images taken with the ACS/HRC on June 14th, 2002, reveals two objects that are consistent with the expected locations of the newly-discovered satellites. One image (top) was taken in yellow light (555 nm) and the other (bottom) was taken in blue light...
Orbits of 4 Bodies in Pluto System about Barycenter as Seen from Earth
Although a full orbital solution for the satellites cannot be determined from only two Hubble measurements, it turns that their paths closely follow that expected for objects orbiting the Pluto system's barycenter in a perfect circle in the same plane as Charon's orbit. In this...
Share
Details
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
