Listen to 300+ podcasts by best-selling authors, published Wednesday, 4pm EST!

Two Moons of Pluto

Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Hubble Space Telescope and other Telescopes topics.

Did the Hubble Telescope recently discover two moons?

Two Moons of Pluto

In 2006, the Hubble Telescope discovered two moons orbiting around Pluto, the ninth and smallest planet of our solar system. These two moons of Pluto are two to three times farther away and 5,000 times fainter than Pluto's large moon Charon, which was discovered in 1978. The International Astronomical Union has dubbed the two moons of Pluto, Nix and Hydra. The two moons have their roots in Greek mythology. The moon Nix takes its name from a derivative of Nyx, the Greek goddess of darkness, while the moon Hydra takes its name directly from the nine-headed serpent guardian of the underworld.

   

Comments

Nobody has commented on this tip yet. Be the first.



Name:


URL: (optional)


Comment:


Not finding the advice and tips you need on this Telescopes Tip Site? Request a Tip Now!


Guru Spotlight
Patricia Walters-Fischer