Moons of Pluto meters per pixel were returned of Nix and up to 1.1 kilometers per pixel of Hydra. Lower-resolution images were returned of Styx and Kerberos. Author Edmond Hamilton referred to three moons of Pluto in his 1940 novel "Calling Captain Future", naming them , , and . Charon was listed as the largest of them. All three moons would not be discovered until the year 1970, according to Hamilton. The real Charon was discovered in 1978. Moons of Pluto The dwarf planet Pluto has five moons down to a detection limit of about 1 km in diameter. In order of distance
IAU definition of planet the 26th General Assembly, is: The IAU further resolves: The IAU also resolved that ""planets" and "dwarf planets" are two distinct classes of objects", meaning that dwarf planets, despite their name, would not be considered planets. Alan Stern, the lead scientist on NASA's robotic mission to Pluto, contended that Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune have not fully cleared their orbital zones, just like Pluto. Earth orbits with 10,000 near-Earth asteroids. Jupiter, meanwhile, is accompanied by 100,000 Trojan asteroids on its orbital path. Stern has asserted: "If Neptune had cleared its zone, Pluto wouldn't be there." Some astronomers counter this opinion