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Nix

File:Nix_best_view.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ102694· pop 70· linked from 462 articles

Also known as (134340) Pluto II, Pluto II, S/2005 P 2

natural satellite of the dwarf planet Pluto

AI overview

Nix is a small moon that orbits the dwarf planet Pluto in the outer reaches of our solar system. It was discovered in 2011 and is notable as one of several moons around Pluto, helping scientists understand the complex system of objects that surround this distant world.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of
moon of Pluto
Named after
Nyx
Official name
(134340) Plutó II
Parent body
Pluto
Radius
46.5
Orbital period
24.854943
Image
Nix best view-true color.jpg
Show 16 more facts
temperature
33
site of astronomical discovery
Hubble Space Telescope
Commons category
Nix
time of discovery or invention
2005-05-15
discoverer or inventor
Hubble Space Telescope
provisional designation
S/2005 P 2
semi-major axis of an orbit
48694
orbital eccentricity
0.0023
orbital inclination
0.133
albedo
0.350
density
1.37
apparent magnitude
23.38
IPA transcription
nɪks
periapsis
48590
apoapsis
48790
absolute magnitude
8.28
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~9 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Nix, formal designation (134340) Pluto II, is a natural satellite of Pluto, with a diameter of 49.8 km (30.9 mi) across its longest dimension. It was discovered along with Pluto's outermost moon Hydra on 15 May 2005 by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope, and was named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night. Nix is the third moon of Pluto by distance, orbiting between the moons Styx and Kerberos.

Nix was imaged along with Pluto and its other moons by the New Horizons spacecraft as it flew by the Pluto system in July 2015. These images reveal a large reddish area on Nix that is likely an impact crater.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Nix” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (9)