Stay updated with breaking news from Space Science Experiments. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
The red cap on Pluto's moon Charon results when ultraviolet light and the solar wind interact with hydrocarbons and turn them into a soup of organic compounds called tholins.
This first-ever depiction of Charon's methane atmosphere using fresh experimental data gives an insight into the origins of this moon's red patch.
Scientists combined data from NASA's New Horizons mission with novel laboratory experiments and exospheric modelling to reveal the likely composition of the red cap on Pluto's moon Charon and how it may have formed
Charon is Pluto's constant companion. Pluto and Charon orbit each other, though Charon is about half Pluto’s diameter.