Photometric variability of Charon at 2.2 microns

Pluto-Charon images obtained on each of four nights at 2.2, 1.2, and 1.7 microns are presently fitted by a two-source image model in which the position of Charon and the ratio of its signal to that of Pluto are free parameters. At 2.2 microns, Charon is fainter than Pluto by magnitudes which, when combined with Pluto-Charon system photometry, yield apparent magnitudes of 15.01 + or - 0.08 for Charon at 0.06 lightcurve phase and 15.46 + or - 0.05 at lightcurve phase 0.42. In view of these results, Charon is variable in this filter bypass due to geometric albedo changes as a function of longitude.