Sure, Pluto may be hogging the spotlight (if deservedly so), but what about its largest moon, Charon? Don't worry, NASA hasn't forgotten about checking in on this celestial neighbor. The New Horizons probe has delivered one of the first true close-ups of Charon, and it's clear that this is much more than a nondescript chunk of ice. It's full of chasms and craters that make Earth seem flat by comparison -- the largest crevice is "miles deeper" than the Grand Canyon, for a start. There's also a curious, 200-mile "dark region" around its northern pole. The moon will play second fiddle once again when New Horizons flies by Pluto on the 14th, but it's at least getting its moment in the (very distant) sun.
[Image credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI]
Filed under: Science
Source: NASA
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