Possible Moons Discovered Orbiting Pluto

November 11, 2005 -- Scientists discovered two possible new moons orbiting Pluto using the Hubble Space Telescope. They are the first evidence of multiple satellites orbiting a planet or object in the solar system beyond Neptune. Pluto lies in the Kuiper Belt, a region of icy, rocky objects that extends from around Neptune’s orbit out into the solar system.

Pluto has one large moon, Charon, discovered in 1978. Astronomers spotted the additional moons in May. The team must confirm the discovery with a separate set of observations in February; other images from 2002 also show the two moons. Currently, scientists estimate that one of the satellites could be as large as 100 miles in diameter and the other slightly smaller.

A National Research Council report, New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy, examines the nature of contemporary solar system exploration and why it remains a scientifically compelling activity today. It makes several recommendations for NASA's space exploration agenda over the next decade, prioritizing missions within different size classes -- a mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt among them.

• New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy (2003)
• National Research Council's Space Studies Board

• NASA
• The Hubble Space Telescope