charon
/ˈkɛrən/
noun
- In Greek mythology, the ferryman who carries the souls of the dead across the river Styx to the underworld.
- According to myth, Charon demanded a coin from each soul before taking them across the river.
- In the poem, Charon's boat is described as old and creaking, carrying shadows to Hades.
- Ancient Greeks placed a coin under the tongue of the dead to pay Charon.
- The largest moon of the dwarf planet Pluto.
- The New Horizons spacecraft sent back detailed images of Charon's surface.
- Charon is so large that Pluto and Charon are sometimes considered a double dwarf planet system.
- Charon was discovered in 1978 by astronomer James Christy.
Synonyms