What is the largest moon of Pluto?

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Multiple Choice

What is the largest moon of Pluto?

Explanation:
The key idea here is comparing the sizes of Pluto’s moons. Charon is the largest moon, with a diameter of about 1,200 kilometers, roughly half the size of Pluto itself. Its substantial size also means it carries a large share of the system’s mass, which is why the Pluto–Charon pair is often described as a binary, with the barycenter outside Pluto. The other moons—Nix, Hydra, and Styx—are significantly smaller, so none matches Charon in size. So, Charon is the largest moon of Pluto.

The key idea here is comparing the sizes of Pluto’s moons. Charon is the largest moon, with a diameter of about 1,200 kilometers, roughly half the size of Pluto itself. Its substantial size also means it carries a large share of the system’s mass, which is why the Pluto–Charon pair is often described as a binary, with the barycenter outside Pluto. The other moons—Nix, Hydra, and Styx—are significantly smaller, so none matches Charon in size. So, Charon is the largest moon of Pluto.

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