Nix
The Surprising Reflector
A chaotically tumbling moon with surprisingly bright, reflective ice
🌙 Mind-Blowing Fact
Nix is one of the brightest objects in the Pluto system, reflecting 56% of sunlight - almost as bright as fresh snow on Earth!
What is Time on Nix?
What is Time on Nix?
Nix (discovered in 2005) is Pluto's second-largest small moon, notable for its chaotic rotation and surprisingly bright surface.
The 25-Day Orbit
- One orbit = 24.85 Earth days - Nearly 4 weeks
- Chaotic tumbling - Like Styx, NOT tidally locked
- Rotation period: ~1.83 Earth days (but axis wobbles!)
- Bright surface: Reflects 56% of light (very icy!)
The Brightness Mystery
Nix is surprisingly bright:
- Albedo of 0.56 (bright as fresh snow!)
- Suggests fresh water ice surface
- Much brighter than Charon (0.35 albedo)
- Why so bright? Possible recent resurfacing
Chaotic Environment
Nix tumbles unpredictably:
- Rotation axis shifts over time
- Caused by Charon's gravitational influence
- Combined with irregular shape
- Makes "day" and "night" unpredictable
A Day in the Life
The Bright Enigma
You arrive at Nix expecting another dark, ancient surface like Kerberos. Instead, you're greeted by brilliant white ice reflecting the dim sunlight.
"It's... bright," you say, surprised.
"Nix is one of the brightest objects in the Pluto system," your guide explains. "56% albedo - almost as reflective as fresh snow on Earth. We don't know why."
You land on the tumbling moon. The ice beneath your boots is pristine, almost unweathered. Above, Pluto and Charon slowly drift across the sky - Nix's chaotic tumbling means neither stays in one place.
"Is it newly resurfaced?" you ask.
"Maybe. Or maybe it has a different composition. Nix is a mystery - bright where it should be dark, fresh where it should be ancient. Some moons hide their age well."
Thought Experiments
Why is Nix so much brighter than other Pluto moons?
Nix might have experienced recent impacts that exposed fresh ice, or it might have a different composition with more pure water ice. The brightness suggests its surface is relatively young in geological terms - maybe refreshed within the last billion years!
The Science of Time on Nix
Nix: The Bright Tumbler
Discovered in 2005 by Hubble, Nix is named after the Greek goddess of darkness and night (Nyx) - though ironically it's one of the brightest objects in the Pluto system!
Key features:
- Size: ~50 km × 35 km × 33 km
- Highly elongated shape
- Chaotic rotation with ~1.83 day period
- Very bright surface (albedo 0.56)
New Horizons observations (2015) revealed the bright surface was a surprise - astronomers expected darker, more ancient surfaces like Charon.