Hydra Facts for Kids

A Picture of Pluto's Moon Hydra
  • Moon Name: Hydra
  • Designation: Pluto III
  • Date Discovered: June 15th, 2005
  • Discovered by: Pluto Companion Search Team
  • Average Orbit of Pluto: 40,233.16 mi
  • Total Volume: 46,886.63 mi3
  • Surface Area: 6,288.06 mi2

16 Hydra Facts for Kids

  1. Hydra is one of Pluto’s five know moons (natural satellites).
  2. Hydra is named after a nine-headed serpent in Greek mythology that lives in the underworld.
  3. Hydra is also designated as Pluto III.
  4. Hydra was discovered on June 15th, 2005 by the Pluto Companion Search Team.
  5. Hydra was discovered using images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
  6. Hydra was discovered on the same day Nix, another moon orbiting Pluto.
  7. The average orbit distance for Hydra is 40,233.16 mi.
  8. The surface area of Hydra is 62,88.06 mi2.
  9. The total volume of Hydra is 46,886.63 mi3.
  10. Hydra completes an orbit around Pluto every 38.2 days.
  11. Hydra has a chaotic rotation and it’s estimated it completes a full rotation every 10 hours.
  12. Hydra is the farthest moon from the dwarf planet Pluto.
  13. Hydra is the second largest moon orbiting Pluto.
  14. Hydra has ice water on its surface, causing it to be highly reflective.
  15. The NASA space probe New Horizons visited the Pluto system in 2015 and took detailed images of Hydra.
  16. It’s estimated that Hydra formed by two smaller objects around Pluto merging together into one large object.

Additional Resources on Pluto’s moon Hydra

  • Learn About Hydra – Read more about Pluto’s moon Hydra on the NASA Solar System Exploration website.
  • Hydra Data and Stats – Find the latest data and statistics of the moon Hydra on the NASA Solar System Exploration website.
  • The Moons of Neptune – Discover more moons of the dwarf planet Pluto on the Britannica website.
  • Hydra (Moon) – Wikipedia – Learn more about Hydra, one of Pluto’s moons, on the Wikipedia website.

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