Back Nix (maan) Afrikaans Nix (Mond) ALS Nicte (satelite) AN نيكس Arabic نیکس (اویدو) AZB Нікс (спадарожнік Плутона) Byelorussian Нікс (спадарожнік) BE-X-OLD Никта (спътник) Bulgarian Nix Breton Nix (satèl·lit) Catalan

Nix (moon)

This article is about the moon of Pluto. It is not to be confused with the asteroid 3908 Nyx.

Nix
Enhanced color image of Nix, taken by New Horizons
Discovery[1]
Discovered byHal A. Weaver et al.[a]
Discovery date15 May 2005
Designations
Designation
Pluto II[1]
Pronunciation/ˈnɪks/
Named after
Nyx
S/2005 P 2
AdjectivesNictian (/ˈnɪktiən/)
Orbital characteristics[2]
48694±3 km
Eccentricity0.002036±0.000050
24.85463±0.00003 d
Inclination0.133°±0.008° (122.53°±0.008° to Pluto's orbit)
Satellite ofPluto
Physical characteristics
Dimensions49.8 × 33.2 × 31.1 km[3]
(Geometric mean of 37 km)
Mass(2.60±0.52)×1016 kg[4]: 10 
Mean density
1.031±0.204 g/cm3[4]: 10 
≈ 0.0028 m/s2 at longest axis
to ≈ 0.0072 m/s2 at poles
≈ 0.0118 km/s at longest axis
to ≈ 0.0149 km/s at poles
1.829±0.009 d[5]: 3  chaotic[6] (decreased by 10% between discovery and flyby)[7]
123°±10° (to Pluto–Charon orbit)[8]: 11 
48°±10° (to celestial equator)[b]
North pole right ascension
350°±10°[5]: 3 
North pole declination
42°±10°[5]: 3 
Albedo0.56±0.05[5]: 3 
23.38–23.7 (measured)[9]
8.28[5]: 2 

Nix is a natural satellite of Pluto, with a diameter of 49.8 km (30.9 mi) across its longest dimension.[3] It was discovered along with Pluto's outermost moon Hydra on 15 May 2005 by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope,[1] and was named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night.[10] Nix is the third moon of Pluto by distance, orbiting between the moons Styx and Kerberos.[11]

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.[12] Images from the New Horizons spacecraft reveal a large reddish area on Nix that is likely an impact crater.[13]

  1. ^ a b c d "Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  2. ^ Showalter, M. R.; Hamilton, D. P. (3 June 2015). "Resonant interactions and chaotic rotation of Pluto's small moons". Nature. 522 (7554): 45–49. Bibcode:2015Natur.522...45S. doi:10.1038/nature14469. PMID 26040889. S2CID 205243819.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference phasecurves was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Porter2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference Weaver2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Northon, Karen (3 June 2015). "NASA's Hubble Finds Pluto's Moons Tumbling in Absolute Chaos".
  7. ^ Lakdawalla, Emily. "DPS 2015: Pluto's small moons Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra [UPDATED]". www.planetary.org. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Weaver2016-supp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Stern06b was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference plutomoons was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference scimag000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cain, Fraser (3 September 2015). "Pluto's Moon Nix". www.universetoday.com. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference SimonPort2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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