The Solar System - Word Search - PUZZLE #33 CHARON - August 2025

PUZZLE #33 - CHARON 

IN-CONTEXT WORD DEFINITIONS

Binary System: Refers to the pairing of Charon and Pluto. They are considered a binary dwarf planet system because their common center of mass (barycenter) lies outside both bodies, meaning they both orbit this point in space.

Orbit: Charon revolves around the barycenter it shares with Pluto. This orbit takes approximately 6.4 Earth days. Charon and Pluto are tidally locked, so they always present the same face to each other throughout their orbit.

Mordor Macula: An informal name for a large dark, elongated region near Charon's north pole. This reddish-brown coloring is likely due to the presence of tholins, complex organic compounds formed by the irradiation of simpler molecules like methane.

Craters: Impact craters are depressions on Charon's surface formed by collisions with other Kuiper Belt objects. The distribution and size of these craters provide clues about the history of impacts in the outer solar system.

Chasms: Long, deep trenches or canyons on Charon's surface, such as Serenity Chasma. These chasms suggest past tectonic activity, possibly caused by the freezing and expansion of a subsurface ocean.

Vulcan Planitia: An informal name for a large plain located in Charon's southern hemisphere. It is characterized by relatively smooth terrain and is believed to have been resurfaced by cryovolcanism or the eruption of a subsurface ocean.

Oz Terra: A name given to the rugged, heavily faulted terrain in Charon's northern hemisphere. This region shows signs of significant past tectonic activity, contrasting with the smoother Vulcan Planitia.

Resurfacing: On Charon, resurfacing refers to geological processes that have modified the surface, potentially erasing older features. Evidence of resurfacing, like the plains of Vulcan Planitia, suggests past cryovolcanism or eruptions of a subsurface ocean.

Subsurface Ocean: Scientists hypothesize that Charon may have once harbored a liquid water ocean beneath its icy crust. The freezing and expansion of this ocean over time could have caused the extensive fracturing and chasms observed on Charon's surface.

Secret Word: Charon's is approximately 1,212 kilometers (753 miles). This makes it the largest moon relative to its parent body in the solar system, with a diameter slightly more than half that of Pluto.