# So what about Charon?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-about-charon/370224>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 25, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-about-charon/370224 "2006-08-25T17:23:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-about-charon/370224/1 "2006-08-25T17:23:24Z")

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In all the discussion about Pluto, I haven’t noticed anything about Charon. If the Pluto demotion stands, will Pluto-Charon be considered a “double dwarf planet,” or will it be considered a bonafide satellite of Pluto, as it had been for some time. (I think in recent months or years, some thought was to not consider it a satellite but both (major) bodies to be a two-body system.)

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**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-about-charon/370224/2 "2006-08-25T18:50:41Z")

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My WAG is that they’ll call it a binary dwarf planet system or something similar.

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-about-charon/370224/3 "2006-08-25T23:27:04Z")

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Charon is the back door for the Pluto Charon system. Pluto is voted out so we will just make Charon the 9th planet, that will show those nasty nasty people.

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**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-about-charon/370224/4 "2006-08-26T01:33:59Z")

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[QUOTE=Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]  
In all the discussion about Pluto, I haven’t noticed anything about Charon. If the Pluto demotion stands, will Pluto-Charon be considered a “double dwarf planet,” or will it be considered a bonafide satellite of Pluto, as it had been for some time. (I think in recent months or years, some thought was to not consider it a satellite but both (major) bodies to be a two-body system.)  
[/QUOTE]

Technically, one body does not revolve around the other; the two revolve around a common point. IIRC, since in the case of Pluto and Charon that common point is in space, between the two, they are considered a double dwarf planet.

In the case of the moon and the earth, the common point is well inside the earth, so the moon remains a satellite.