Kerberos (moon) facts for kids
Hubble Space Telescope discovery images of S/2011 P 1.
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| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Showalter M. R. and others |
| Discovery date | June 28, 2011 (verified July 20, 2011) |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Satellite of | Pluto |
| Physical characteristics | |
| _asc_north_pole = | |
Kerberos (once called S/2011 (134340) 1 or P4) is a small moon of the dwarf planet Pluto. Scientists found this moon on June 28, 2011. It is the fourth moon discovered orbiting Pluto. The other moons are Charon, found in 1978, Nix and Hydra, found in 2005, and Styx, found in 2012.
How Kerberos Was Found
Scientists found Kerberos using the Hubble Space Telescope. A team led by Mark Showalter made the discovery. They were actually looking for rings around Pluto.
Kerberos first appeared in a picture taken on June 28, 2011. This picture was from Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3. More pictures were taken on July 3 and July 18, 2011. These helped confirm that the moon really existed. The discovery was officially announced on July 20, 2011.
Kerberos was not seen in older Hubble pictures. This is because those pictures had shorter exposure times. The moon might have looked like a very faint smudge in pictures from 2006. But it was ignored then because it was not clear enough. Kerberos might also be visible in images taken in 2010.
What Kerberos Is Like
Kerberos is a small moon. Its estimated diameter is between 13 and 34 kilometers (8 to 21 miles) wide.
Scientists believe Kerberos and Pluto's other moons formed a long time ago. They think a huge collision happened between Pluto and another space object. This happened early in the Solar System's history.
Images for kids
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Hubble discovery images of Kerberos
See also
In Spanish: Cerbero (satélite) para niños
