Charon (moon) but they are not large enough to be spherical, and they are simply considered to be satellites of Pluto (or of Pluto–Charon). Charon (moon) Charon, also known as (134340) Pluto I, is the largest of the five known natural satellites of the dwarf planet Pluto. It has a mean radius of 606 km. It was discovered in 1978 at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., using photographic plates taken at the United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station (NOFS). With half the diameter and one eighth the mass of Pluto, Charon is a very large moon in comparison to
Tombaugh Regio the International Astronomical Union (IAU), together with names for 13 other surface features on Pluto. Some people find the feature also resembles the Disney character Pluto, an animated non-anthropomorphic dog which shares the name of the dwarf planet. The Walt Disney Company acknowledged this perceived likeness in a short animation. Tombaugh Regio Tombaugh Regio (), nicknamed The Heart after its shape, is the largest bright surface feature of the dwarf planet Pluto. It is just north of the equator, to the northeast of Cthulhu Macula and to the northwest of Krun Macula, which are both dark features. Its western lobe,