MessageToEagle.com - A team of astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a
fifth moon orbiting the icy dwarf planet Pluto.
Pluto’s new-found moon, visible as a speck of light in Hubble images, is estimated to be irregular in shape and
between 10 and 25 kilometres across.
It is in a 95 000 kilometre-diameter circular orbit around Pluto that is
assumed to lie in the same plane as Pluto’s other known moons.
“The moons form a series of neatly nested orbits, a bit like Russian dolls,” said Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute
in Mountain View, USA, leader of the scientific team that discovered the new moon.
The Pluto team is intrigued that such a small planet can have such a complex collection of satellites.
The new discovery provides additional clues for unraveling how the Pluto system formed and evolved.
The favoured theory is that all the moons are relics of a collision between Pluto and another large Kuiper belt
object billions of years ago.
Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, was discovered in 1978. Hubble observations in 2006 uncovered two additional small
moons, Nix and Hydra.
In 2011 another moon, known as P4, was found in Hubble data.
Click on image to enlarge
Hubble finds fifth moon orbiting Pluto (labelled). Image credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Showalter (SETI Institute)
Provisionally designated S/2012 (134340) 1, or P5, the latest moon was detected in nine separate sets of images taken
by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 on 26, 27 and 29 June, and 7 and 9 July 2012.
New Horizons, a NASA space probe, is currently en route to Pluto, with a high-speed flyby scheduled for 2015.
It will return the first ever detailed images of the Pluto system, which is so small and distant that even Hubble
can barely see the largest features on its surface.
Click on image to enlarge
Hubble finds fifth moon orbiting Pluto (unlabelled). Image credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Showalter (SETI Institute)
In the years following the New Horizons Pluto flyby, astronomers plan to use the infrared vision of Hubble’s planned
successor, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, for follow-up observations.
The James Webb Space Telescope will be able to study the surface chemistry of Pluto, its moons, and many other
bodies that lie in the distant Kuiper Belt along with Pluto.
Follow MessageToEagle.com for the latest news on Facebook
and Twitter !
Recommend this article:
Baffling Discovery Never Seen Before:
Cosmic Dust Vanishes Mysteriously
Astronomers report a baffling discovery never seen before: An extraordinary amount of dust around a nearby star has mysteriously disappeared.
"It's like the classic magician's trick -- now you see it, now you don't..."
Subscribe To Our Space, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Earth and Xenology News!
Grab the latest RSS feeds right to your reader, desktop or mobile phone.
Camelopardalis - Red Giant Is Nearing The End Of Its Life
Camelopardalis, or U Cam for short, is a star nearing the end of its life.
As it begins to run low on fuel, it is becoming unstable.
Every few thousand years, it coughs out a nearly spherical shell of gas as a layer of helium around its core begins to fuse.
Very Unusual Comet 96P/Machholz Visible
- On SOHO’s LASCO C3 Between July 12 – 17, 2012
Between July 12-17, 2012, comet 96P/Machholz will be visible in the SOHO LASCO/C3 field of view and will brighten to about magnitude +2.
Comet Machholz is not as like other comets.
It must have had a very unusual origin and might even have formed in another solar system probably very different from our own.
Still A Mystery: Are Baffling Clap Sounds Related To Aurora Borealis?
These strange sounds from aurora borealis have been reported by wilderness wanderers and other individuals but no connection has ever been proven.
For the first time, researchers at Aalto University in Finland have located where the sounds
associated with the northern lights are created.
Powerful Cosmic Force Almost Destroyed Earth
In our article Powerful Jet Pointing Directly At Earth
we discussed one of the most fascinating cosmic phenomena, known to astronomers as blazars.
A very interesting, but also frightening event took place back some years ago when satellites and observatories suddenly registered an extremely
powerful cosmic force that almost destroyed Earth...
Look How It's Glowing!
Mysteriously Beautiful Fukang Meteorite Is A Precious Cosmic Wonder
It is a truly breathtaking sight!
What makes the meteorite so extraordinary is without doubt its amazing glow!
When the Fukang meteorite slammed into the surface of Earth, one suspected this extraterrestrial gemstone
could mirror the stellar beauty of the cosmos, and it did!
Watch How Fire Behaves Differently In Space!
Fire in space behaves differently than on Earth. See for yourself. The ISS crew conducted some interesting, yet dangerous experiment with fire.
Data from the experiment can be used to upgrade fire detection and suppression equipment on Earth and Space.
Unusual Stools Defy Gravity
Are these stools nice-looking or ugly? Well, that depends on your taste, but one thing is certain - they are different and very unusual indeed!
These remarkable stools have one thing in common, they defy gravity.
How is it possible?
MessageToEagle.com - A team of astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a
fifth moon orbiting the icy dwarf planet Pluto.
Astronomers report a baffling discovery never seen before: An extraordinary amount of dust around a nearby star has mysteriously disappeared.
"It's like the classic magician's trick -- now you see it, now you don't..."
Camelopardalis, or U Cam for short, is a star nearing the end of its life.
As it begins to run low on fuel, it is becoming unstable.
Every few thousand years, it coughs out a nearly spherical shell of gas as a layer of helium around its core begins to fuse.
We know they are out there, but what do they look like?
Between July 12-17, 2012, comet 96P/Machholz will be visible in the SOHO LASCO/C3 field of view and will brighten to about magnitude +2.
Comet Machholz is not as like other comets.
It must have had a very unusual origin and might even have formed in another solar system probably very different from our own.
These strange sounds from aurora borealis have been reported by wilderness wanderers and other individuals but no connection has ever been proven.
For the first time, researchers at Aalto University in Finland have located where the sounds
associated with the northern lights are created.
In our article 
It is a truly breathtaking sight!
What makes the meteorite so extraordinary is without doubt its amazing glow!
When the Fukang meteorite slammed into the surface of Earth, one suspected this extraterrestrial gemstone
could mirror the stellar beauty of the cosmos, and it did!
Fire in space behaves differently than on Earth. See for yourself. The ISS crew conducted some interesting, yet dangerous experiment with fire.
Are these stools nice-looking or ugly? Well, that depends on your taste, but one thing is certain - they are different and very unusual indeed!
These remarkable stools have one thing in common, they defy gravity.
How is it possible?