Kerberos is a small natural satellite of Pluto, about 19 km (12 mi) in its longest dimension.

[11][12] The search for rings was motivated in part by a desire to avoid damage to New Horizons when it passed through the Pluto system in July 2015.

[18] Kerberos has a high albedo or reflectivity similar to Pluto's other small moons, likely due to the presence of water ice on its surface.

[19] Before the New Horizons flyby, Kerberos was initially thought to have a larger size and a darker surface.

[20] Like the other small moons of Pluto, Kerberos is not tidally locked and its rotation is chaotic, varying quickly over geological timescales.

[5][8] The high axial tilt of Kerberos meant that it was rotating sideways relative to its orbit around the Pluto-Charon barycenter.

[8] Observations indicate a circular, equatorial orbit around the Pluto-Charon barycenter at a distance of 57,783 km (35,905 mi).

[24][25] The "Romulus" suggestion was discounted, because there is already an asteroid moon of that name, but Vulcan won the poll after Shatner tweeted about it, with Cerberus (the dog that guards Pluto's underworld) coming second and Styx (the goddess of the river of the underworld) coming third.

[28][29] The names of features on the bodies in the Pluto system are related to mythology and the literature and history of exploration.