BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy Pluto's Moons - Facts for Kids *New*

.
Pluto was the baby of the Solar System planets. Although only slightly bigger than Russia, Pluto is now the biggest known dwarf planet. It has five moons, and that's more than there are in the inner Solar System. Earth has one moon, Mars has two, and Mercury and Venus have none.

Pluto's Moons - Facts for Kids
.

.
When New Horizons made its historic fly-by of Pluto in 2015, it wasn't only Pluto that was surprising. Pluto's moon Charon also turned out to be complex and interesting. This meant names were needed for Charon's surface features too. Over a dozen have been approved, and exploration is the big theme.

Names for Charon
.

.
Dwarf planet and Kuiper Belt object Pluto has five moons. How did Pluto and its moons get their names?

Naming Pluto and its Moons
.

.
Pluto is smaller than our Moon, but it's the biggest known dwarf planet. On the inner edge of the Kuiper Belt, the Sun is so far away it would look like a bright star from there. And Pluto can get so cold that its atmosphere freezes and falls to the ground.

Pluto - Facts for Kids
.

.
On July 14, 2015, the New Horizons mission made its historic fly-by of Pluto and its moons.

New Horizons had been nearing Pluto in 2015, and the mission team would need names for the surface features they discovered. So they appealed to the public. The names would be informal ones, but they hoped the International Astronomical Union (IAU) would make them official.

Pluto - Names and Places.
.