From Latin Charōn, from Ancient Greek Χάρων (Khárōn). The name of the moon was coined by American astronomer James W. Christy in 1978, in reference to a fictional moon of Pluto in a novel by Edmond Hamilton but also influenced by its similarity to Char, a pet name for Charlene, his wife's name — hence the alternative American pronunciation, which is used at NASA.
From Latin Charōn, from Ancient Greek Χάρων (Khárōn). The name of the moon was coined by American astronomer James W. Christy in 1978, in reference to a fictional moon of Pluto in a novel by Edmond Hamilton but also influenced by its similarity to Char, a pet name for Charlene, his wife's name — hence the alternative American pronunciation, which is used at NASA.
Meanings
(Greek) The ferryman of Hades, who rowed the shades of the dead across the river Styx.
The Ghoſts rejected, are th’ unhappy Crew
Depriv’d of Sepulchers, and Fun’ral due.
The Boatman, Charon; thoſe, the bury’d hoſt,
He Ferries over to the Farther Coaſt. 1697, Virgil, “The Sixth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 375, lines 445–448:
But then, what though the mystic Three
Around me ply their merry trade? —
And Charon soon may carry me
Across the gloomy Stygian glade? 1897, Edwin Arlington Robinson, “Ballade by the Fire”, in Children of the Night:
The largest of the five moons of Pluto.
Last week Nasa released its highest resolution photos yet of the dwarf planet and its largest moon, Charon, revealing new mysteries that its spacecraft New Horizons had uncovered at the edge of the solar system. 2015 October 6, Alan Yuhas, “Images of Pluto and Charon continue to captivate Nasa: 'This world is alive'”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
sh Hȃron (the ferryman of Hades) · bg Харо́н (the ferryman of Hades) · el Χάροντας (a moon of Pluto) · pt Caronte (a moon of Pluto) · de Charon (a moon of Pluto) · cs Charon (a moon of Pluto) · da Charon (a moon of Pluto) · pl Charon (a moon of Pluto) · iu ᖄᕈᓐ (the ferryman of Hades) · hu Kharón (the ferryman of Hades) · tr Kharoon (the ferryman of Hades) · es Caronte (the ferryman of Hades) · sk Charón (the ferryman of Hades) · eu Karon (the ferryman of Hades) · fi Kharon (the ferryman of Hades) · hu Charon (the ferryman of Hades) · el Χάρων (the ferryman of Hades) · ru Харо́н (the ferryman of Hades) · gl Caronte (the ferryman of Hades) · br C'haron (the ferryman of Hades) · ja カロン (a moon of Pluto) · he כארון (the ferryman of Hades) · it Caronte (a moon of Pluto) · ko 카론 (the ferryman of Hades) · pl Charon (the ferryman of Hades) · pt Caronte (the ferryman of Hades) · nl Charon (the ferryman of Hades) · th แครอน (the ferryman of Hades) · mk Харон (the ferryman of Hades) · uk Харо́н (the ferryman of Hades) · hu Kharón (a moon of Pluto) · mr केरन (the ferryman of Hades) · co Caronti (the ferryman of Hades) · scn Carunti (a moon of Pluto) · chr ᎧᎶᏂ (the ferryman of Hades) · no Kharon (the ferryman of Hades) · id Kharon (the ferryman of Hades) · lij Caronte (the ferryman of Hades) · ja シャロン (a moon of Pluto) · sl Haron (the ferryman of Hades) · hy Քարոն (the ferryman of Hades) · scn Carunti (the ferryman of Hades) · it Caronte (the ferryman of Hades) · gl Caronte (a moon of Pluto) · sh Ха̑рон (the ferryman of Hades) · sv Charon (a moon of Pluto) · mi kūwata (a moon of Pluto) · kl Charoni (the ferryman of Hades) · chr ᎧᎶᏂ (a moon of Pluto) · cs Charón (the ferryman of Hades) · lij Charun (the ferryman of Hades) · ar خَارُون (the ferryman of Hades) · el Χάρος (the ferryman of Hades) · fr Charon (a moon of Pluto) · de Charon (the ferryman of Hades) · cs Charon (the ferryman of Hades) · lt Charonas (the ferryman of Hades) · kl Charoni (a moon of Pluto) · mk Харон (a moon of Pluto) · ko 카론 (a moon of Pluto) · fi Kharon (a moon of Pluto) · da Karon (the ferryman of Hades) · sh Haron (a moon of Pluto) · el Χάρων (a moon of Pluto) · cmn 冥衛一 /冥卫一 (a moon of Pluto) · grc Χάρων (the ferryman of Hades) · ca Caront (the ferryman of Hades) · ga Carón (the ferryman of Hades) · ar شَارُون (a moon of Pluto) · nl Charon (a moon of Pluto) · ka ქარონი (the ferryman of Hades) · mr केरन (a moon of Pluto) · fa خارون (the ferryman of Hades) · ja カローン (the ferryman of Hades) · es Caronte (a moon of Pluto) · lij Charu (the ferryman of Hades) · sk Cháron (the ferryman of Hades) · ru Харо́н (a moon of Pluto) · cmn 卡戎 (the ferryman of Hades)