Charon at 40: The Discovery of Pluto’s Largest Moon
The largest of Pluto's five moons, Charon, was discovered 40 years ago today by James Christy and Robert Harrington at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona – only about six miles from where Pluto itself was discovered at Lowell Observatory. They weren't even looking for satellites of Pluto – Christy was trying to refine Pluto's orbit around the Sun.
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