Astronomy

How many moons does Pluto have?

Pluto’s moon system is one of the strangest in the Solar System. It has five moons (Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra). In this article, I’ll show you what makes each one different, why the Pluto–Charon pair is so unusual, and what scientists learned when New Horizons flew past in 2015.

By Roger Ianjamasimanana

A starry background illustrating why Pluto is no longer a planet, showing the Sun and an orbit, and listing the three criteria for an object to be a planet.

Why is Pluto not a planet?

Pluto used to be the ninth planet. Many people born in the late 1990s still remember it that way. So why did its status change? The answer isn’t "because it’s too small". It is linked to a specific scientific definition agreed in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union.

By Roger Ianjamasimanana