Charon’s Mountains Reveal Moon Once Spun 10x Faster

Pluto's largest moon, Charon, has mountainous terrain on its northern hemisphere that contrasts with its smoother southern side. This difference has led scientists to hypothesize that Charon's rotation initially spun much faster, then gradually slowed down over time. By examining Charon's surface through computer models, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, believe they may have confirmed this "despinning" hypothesis.

They found that Charon's rotation may have been around 14.3 hours, nearly 10 times faster than its current rotation period of about 6.4 days. This despinning likely occurred very early in Charon's history before any cryovolcanic activity. The study, published in Nature Communications, uses structural geology techniques to quantify the strain and stress on planetary bodies like Charon.

While this research provides a plausible explanation for the tectonic patterns on Charon's northern highlands, more studies are needed for a comprehensive understanding of the thermal-mechanical evolution of its crust. This discovery sheds new light on Charon's formation and evolution, as well as the history of other icy moons in our solar system.