revers_jr - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only
Since its discovery in 1978, Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, has been studied closely. However, scientists have been unable to narrow down all the components that make up the moon’s surface—until now.
The new findings may help shed some light on the origins of Charon and other icy celestial bodies located at the edge of the solar system.
A team of astronomers led by Silvia Protopapa from the Southwest Research Institute used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to investigate Charon. They detected carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on the moon’s frozen surface.
“Our research reveals that Charon’s surface preserves evidence of its formation through the presence of carbon dioxide, as well as signs of irradiation processes, indicated by the presence of hydrogen peroxide,” said Protopapa.
“These discoveries expand Charon’s known compositional inventory, which includes water ice, ammonia-bearing species, and organic materials responsible for its gray and red coloration.”
Charon is about 750 miles wide and is located in the Kuiper Belt, a ring of comets, dwarf planets, and icy debris at the solar system’s edge.
Charon’s surface is not covered with volatile ices like methane, unlike many of the other larger objects in the Kuiper Belt.
This means it allows scientists to examine the craters and the effects of sunlight exposure on such a distant celestial body.
In addition, Charon is the only mid-sized trans-Neptunian object (TNO) for which geologic mapping is available, thanks to data gathered by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft from when it visited the Pluto system about a decade ago.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
1 of 2 Next
