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News and Views
Nature 439, 24-25 (5 January 2006) | doi:10.1038/439024a; Published online 4 January 2006
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Planetary science: The ferryman casts his shadow
David J. Tholen1
Abstract
The most accurate way of determining the size of some bodies in the Solar System is to observe them as they pass across the face of a star. In the case of Charon, Pluto's largest satellite, it's been a long wait.
Ask people, especially children, to name their favourite planet, and often enough Pluto crops up. Whether that is due to the association with Disney's cartoon dog, or because of the enigmatic nature of the object — uniquely among the nine traditional planets, it has never been seen at close range by a spacecraft — isn't clear.
- David J. Tholen is at the Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA.
Email: tholen@ifa.hawaii.edu
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