Why do Pluto and Charon orbit around nothing?

Astrum Answers! Pluto's moon, Charon, does not orbit Pluto. In fact they both revolve around an empty point in space. But how? And why?

This is a new series of short format videos answering questions my viewers have. Have a burning question that needs answering? Ask in the comments and your question might be the topic for the next video.

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Image Credits: NASA/ESA/Space Engine

[astrumspace]

First! With this series, we are going back to basics. As some of you may have seen in my 100K subs special, I'm going to experiment with a new format for this channel. Before, I was making a normal length video every fortnight. By making shorter videos, I hope to do a video every week! Alternate weeks, normal length video, short video, normal length... etc. Let me know what you think!

[teresukisalsabachata]

Gracias. My 4 year old and I love your videos. Aloha from Oahu, Hawaii ❤

[anna.m]

loved the butternut/kiwi visualisation 😂

[TheMisterMotU]

Nice video! I like the short bite sized format. A lovely way to learn a little factoid about space every week.

[passthebutterrobot]

Does this mean Pluto & Charon are actually a binary system, as opposed to being a (dwarf) planet & a moon?

[xavierpaquin]

"Up close and in detail" ... The planet is 6 pixels wide lol

[marshmallowmonster]

It is like they are orbiting around my will to live.

[vega-space]

Love the channel. I love it so much it even inspired me to have begun my own. No one makes better space videos like yours. It gives me a deep appreciation for what we have, jet we are still so small, just a spec of dust in the universe. Keep up the good work man. I really appreciate your work in these videos.

[jenjibur]

Interesting. Although I felt like the end was a bit of a cliffhanger. I wanted to know more about Jupiter & the sun's barycenter. Thanks for all you do!

[Oveyz]

This is a great idea for a series. Maybe you could even go a bit deeper and briefly explain how a barycentre is found? I know it's highschool math because I was traumatised by barycentres back then. I remember crying over it. I knew all the formulas, all the rules, and yet when faced with problems, my brain didn't seem able to compute. I really felt like I was hitting a concrete ceiling. So I went and got myself transferred from a Science specialty to a Literary one and graduated with honors. I still regret not having conquered my basic highschool math fully. Not like I use any of it (no functions or even fractions needed when you're a bookseller), but still.

[peterpowis]

thanks, that's really interesting! would love to know more about Pluto (have watched all your videos about it)I find it fascinating because it's so far away :)

[mayurtapkir]

Short and simple and easy to understand

[darth]

James Christy, who discovered Charon, has a New Horizons image of the moon as his desktop background on his computer. I thought that was kinda cute. He is an old man now and I am glad he got to see those close-up images of the moon he once discovered.

[senseijay]

Great time information, keep up the good work.

[Solo]

I love Astrum it's the best channel.
☝️😘😍👌

[wizzardofpaws]

Holy cow, I just found an Astrum video I missed.

[thehoss]

Why does Saturn have a magnetic field that is almost perfectly aligned with it's rotational axis?

[Solnet]

why planets do not fall? and whts below on space?

[davidkennedy]

Could you do an episode on black holes??? What happens to all the mass at the centre of a black hole??? I've heard differing thoughts but find it very hard to understand, the mass is there (the gravity still affects other objects) but that it's also not there anymore??? I've even heard some theorize that our universe could be the result of a black hole and that (in theory) all super massive black holes could hold their own universe.

[gaspipe]

I think the new format may be a great are getting these little nuggets of knowledge more frequently and we get a weekly video!!!!