How big is Nix? | Scale of the Universe (2025)

Introduction

Have you ever wondered about the size of the objects that float around in our colossal universe? We’re not just talking about planets, but also the smaller bodies that orbit them, like moons. One such moon, called Nix, is a fascinating object spinning around the dwarf planet Pluto. Nix might not be as famous as our own Moon, but it’s an exciting celestial body with some intriguing features. Let’s explore this lesser-known moon of Pluto and try to understand how big it is!

The Size of Nix

When we talk of size, we usually think about how big something is compared to something else. So how big is Nix? It’s about 49.8 kilometers (or 30.9 miles) across its longest dimension. That’s roughly 4.5 times the length of Manhattan Island in New York City!Nix is not a perfect sphere, like our own Moon or Earth. It’s more elongated, like a potato. Imagine a potato that’s almost 50 kilometers long, and you’ve got a pretty good idea of Nix’s size!

Comparing Nix to Other Objects

Now that we know Nix’s size, let’s compare it to some other objects to get a better understanding.

• Nix vs. Earth’s Moon: Our Moon is about 3,474 kilometers in diameter. That makes Nix tiny in comparison! The Moon is approximately 70 times bigger than Nix.
• Nix vs. Pluto: Pluto, the dwarf planet that Nix orbits, is also much bigger. Pluto’s diameter is about 2,377 kilometers. That means Pluto is nearly 50 times larger than Nix.
• Nix vs. Other Moons of Pluto: Pluto has five known moons. The biggest one is Charon, which is about 1,212 kilometers in diameter. That’s about 24 times the size of Nix! The other moons - Hydra, Styx, and Kerberos - are smaller than Nix. Hydra, the second-largest moon of Pluto, is about 55 kilometers long, just a little bigger than Nix.

Interesting Facts About Nix

Nix is not just another moon; it has some interesting features that set it apart.

• Nix was discovered on May 15, 2005, by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope. It was spotted alongside Hydra, another of Pluto’s moons.
• The moon is named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night. Quite fitting for a moon that orbits the far-off Pluto, don’t you think?
• Nix is the third moon of Pluto by distance, orbiting between the moons Styx and Kerberos.
• When the New Horizons spacecraft flew by the Pluto system in July 2015, it took some images of Nix. One of these pictures revealed a large reddish area on Nix, which is likely an impact crater.By exploring the size of celestial bodies like Nix, we can better understand our vast universe. Even though Nix is just a small piece of the cosmic puzzle, it’s an interesting one that helps us appreciate the diverse sizes and shapes of objects in space.