The James Webb Space Telescope has made an important discovery about Charon, which is the largest moon of Pluto. Scientists have found carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on Charon’s surface for the first time. This discovery adds to earlier findings from NASA’s New Horizons mission in 2015, which found water ice on Charon. The presence of these chemicals is a significant advancement in understanding the moon’s makeup. Charon, along with Pluto, is located more than 3 billion miles from the sun in the cold Kuiper Belt. The findings were published in the scientific journal Nature Communications on October 1, 2024.

Researchers believe that hydrogen peroxide forms on Charon when radiation interacts with water molecules on the surface. Meanwhile, carbon dioxide may come from impacts by external objects. The advanced infrared sensors of the Webb telescope allowed scientists to detect these chemicals, which could not be found before. This discovery provides valuable information about how Charon and similar celestial bodies were formed and changed over time. Knowing the chemical composition of distant moons and planets is crucial for studying the outer solar system. These new findings might challenge current theories about the development of such bodies and give insights for future scientific research.