#episode extras

Outlander | Surrender

Behind the Scenes 

So apparently Kitty is well versed in Charlie the unicorn. This was Kay’s first time with it. Make sure you check out the episode for Kay’s reaction.

How do you pronounce “Charon” anyway?

This week’s It’s Okay To Be Smart is a run-down of all the discoveries made by New Horizons since its fly-by of Pluto and its largest moon Charon on July 14, 2015. 

A couple commenters suggested that I was pronouncing Charon incorrectly, saying “SHA-ron” instead of “KHA-ron” (the latter being the as-correct-as-English-can-manage-with-Greek pronunciation of Charon, the mythical ferryman who delivers souls across the rivers Styx and Acheron).

So am I pronouncing it wrong?

Nope, at least not according to most of the world’s astronomers. Even Alan Stern, the New Horizons chief scientist, says it like I do. Here’s the story of how Pluto’s biggest moon got its name:

Jim Christy, the astronomer who discovered the moon in 1978, promised his wife Charlene he'd name it after her, which is a very romantic thing to do. However, since it was IAU custom to stick with mythological names, the astronomical community was all set to name the moon “Persephone” to stick with the Underworld theme they had going. 

Jim didn’t want to let his wife down, so he came up with a compromise. They’d name the moon “Charon”, except they’d add the "Sha-" sound from Charlene to the mythological name. Hence "SHA-ron” instead of “KHA-ron”. 

As Charlene Christy said later, “Many men promise their wives the moon, but mine delivered.” (read more here)