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To: SunkenCiv

BTW: Is Charon in a retrograde orbit or is it whizzing along so as to complete 3/4 of a revolution in 5 days?


7 posted on 07/22/2011 11:32:32 AM PDT by hattend (Its a matter of public record that I did not go to Harvard Law School, but I can add. - Sarah Palin)
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To: hattend

They’re tidally locked, showing the same face to each other, with an orbital period of a bit more than six days (it sez here). Charon has a lot lower density which means it wasn’t formed at the same time and place as Pluto. Mike Brown (discoverer / co-discoverer of the larger Kuiper Belt Objects or KBOs) claims that one of those KBOs was formed in a large impact that also gave birth to Pluto and Charon.


9 posted on 07/22/2011 11:51:36 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that time again -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: hattend

Oh, and I screwed up, Mike Brown sez those were two different impact events. I had planned to post some stuff of his regarding the possibility of a Planet X, haven’t yet, but should probably check anyway, in case I’d posted it before. :’)


13 posted on 07/22/2011 2:55:29 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that time again -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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