Pluto may have two more moons
Posted: Tue, Nov 1, 2005, 9:22 AM ET (1422 GMT)
Hubble Space Telescope observations of Pluto have revealed the existence of what may be two additional moons orbiting the distant planet, NASA announced Monday. The objects, provisionally designated S/2005 P1 and S/2005 P2, were discovered by astronomers in two sets of Hubble images taken three days apart in May 2005. The candidate moons appeared to move in orbit around Pluto at a distance of about 50,000 and 65,000 km from the planet during the observations. Confirmation that the objects are indeed moons will have to wait for additional Hubble observations scheduled for next February; groundbased telescopes cannot detect the faint moons. The moons, thought to be each on the order of 100 km across, may be debris left over from the collision that formed Pluto's largest moon, Charon.
Hubble Space Telescope observations of Pluto have revealed the existence of what may be two additional moons orbiting the distant planet, NASA announced Monday. The objects, provisionally designated S/2005 P1 and S/2005 P2, were discovered by astronomers in two sets of Hubble images taken three days apart in May 2005. The candidate moons appeared to move in orbit around Pluto at a distance of about 50,000 and 65,000 km from the planet during the observations. Confirmation that the objects are indeed moons will have to wait for additional Hubble observations scheduled for next February; groundbased telescopes cannot detect the faint moons. The moons, thought to be each on the order of 100 km across, may be debris left over from the collision that formed Pluto's largest moon, Charon.
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