Charon

views updated Jun 27 2018

Charon in Greek mythology, an old man who ferried the souls of the dead across the Rivers Styx and Acheron to Hades; he received a fee of one obol for each soul.

Charon

views updated May 08 2018

Charon The satellite of Pluto, discovered in 1979, which orbits at a mean distance of 19 405 km, with an orbital period of 6.387 days. Its equatorial radius is 586 km; mass 1.7 × 1021 kg; mean density 1800 kg/m3; surface gravity 0.21 (Earth = 1); albedo 0.375. Some consider Charon and Pluto to comprise a double-planet system.

Charon

views updated May 21 2018

Charon In Greek mythology, boatman of the Lower World who ferried the souls of the dead across the Styx to Hades.