Moon of Eris
Dysnomia
Dysnomia is a moon. It orbits Eris. It is about 615 km across – smaller than our Moon. Dysnomia is the only known moon of the dwarf planet Eris, around 600 km across.
Fact file
- Type
- Moon of Eris
- Diameter
- 615 km
- Distance from Eris
- 37,273 km
- Orbital period
- 15.8 days
- Temperature
- -243 °C on average
Dysnomia orbits Eris.
Interesting facts about Dysnomia
- Dysnomia is the only known moon of the dwarf planet Eris, around 600 km across.
- Thanks to Dysnomia's orbit, Eris could be weighed: Eris is around 27% heavier than Pluto.
- Named after Dysnomia, daughter of the goddess Eris and the spirit of lawlessness – a wink at actress Lucy Lawless (“Xena”), because Eris was at first unofficially called “Xena”.
Frequently asked questions about Dysnomia
How big is Dysnomia?
Dysnomia has a diameter of 615 km. That is about 18% of the diameter of our Moon.
How far is Dysnomia from Eris?
Dysnomia orbits Eris at an average distance of 37,273 km.
How long does Dysnomia take to orbit Eris?
Dysnomia orbits Eris once every 15.8 days.
How cold or warm is it on Dysnomia?
On Dysnomia the average temperature is −243 °C.
Formation
Probably formed when Eris collided with another body.
Atmosphere
No atmosphere.
Exploration
Discovered in 2005 with the Keck telescope in Hawaii. No probe has ever visited Eris.
Compared with Earth
Dysnomia is very dark and reflects only a few per cent of the light.
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