The moon, thought to be irregularly shaped and measuring six to 15 miles across, was spotted by a team of astronomers employing NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
Professionals believe the exciting discovery will give them far more clues to how Pluto’s complex system of satellites formed and evolved.
It is the fifth identified moon to be discovered around Pluto. The largest was spotted in 1978, and Hubble operations have uncovered three other individuals since 2006.
Pathfinding: The fifth moon (marked by a green circle) was discovered for the duration of preparations for a spaceflight to Pluto, planned in 2015
The new mass is believed to be in line with the other satellites, on a 58,000-mile-diameter circular orbit about the dwarf planet.
Lead astronomer Mark Showalter, of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, mentioned: ‘The moons form a series of neatly nested orbits, a bit like Russian dolls.’
The most common theory to clarify the formation of the Pluto system is that all the moons are relics of a collision among the dwarf planet and another large Kuiper beltobject billions of years ago.
Sources and more information:
• Hubble Discovers a Fifth Moon Orbiting Pluto
A team of astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is reporting the discovery of another moon orbiting the icy dwarf planet Pluto. The moon is estimated to be irregular in shape and 6 to 15 miles across. It is in a 58,000-mile-diameter circular orbit around Pluto that is assumed to be co-planar with the other satellites in the system.
• Hubble Discovers New Moon Around Pluto
• Pluto Has a Fifth Moon, Hubble Telescope Reveals