Aster › Space program › Vanth
Vanth
Position on the route: 75/130 · level needed 342 · journey (Mk0 engine) 58.8 h
By the numbers
| Diameter | ≈ 440 km |
|---|---|
| Year | 9.5 days |
| Distance | ≈ 9,000 km |
| Found | 2005, Brown |
The story
Vanth is Orcus’s moon and, compared with its primary, one of the largest moons known: almost half Orcus’s diameter. Mike Brown’s team found it with Hubble in 2005. It is named for the winged Etruscan guide of souls, Vanth.
The pair’s centre of mass lies between the bodies: nearly a binary system like Pluto–Charon. Vanth’s surface is darker and redder than Orcus’s; the difference suggests a system created by a collision.
Missions
- Hubble and JWST observations
Colony note
No colony; an observation outpost for the Orcus system.
What probes bring back
- Orcus’s moon (≈ 440 km), almost half the size of its primary; found with Hubble in 2005. Named for the Etruscan guide of souls, Vanth.
- Its surface is darker and redder than Orcus’s bright ice; it may have formed in a collision.