List of geological features on Charon#Chasmata
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File:Charon map annotated iau1803b.jpg
The geological features of Charon, the largest moon of Pluto, are being mapped by scientists using data from the New Horizons spacecraft. The team has given provisional names to the most prominent.
{{As of|2020|4}}, only some of the names have been officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union, which has agreed that names for features on Charon should come from the following:{{cite web|title=Naming of Astronomical Objects|url=https://www.iau.org/public/themes/naming/#dwarfplanets|website=www.iau.org|publisher=IAU General Assembly 2018|accessdate=3 April 2018}}{{cite web|title=Official Naming of Surface Features on Pluto and its Satellites |url=https://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau1702/|website=www.iau.org|publisher=IAU General Assembly 2018|accessdate=3 April 2018}}
- Destinations and milestones of fictional space and other exploration.
- Fictional and mythological vessels of space and other exploration.
- Fictional and mythological voyagers, travellers and explorers.
- Authors and artists associated with space exploration, especially Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.
Some features discovered by the New Horizons mission have been given provisional names based on various science fiction and fantasy franchises, including Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Alien, Firefly, and Macross.{{cite web|last1=Brown|first1=Andrew R.|last2=Byrd|first2=Deborah|title=First maps of Charon and Pluto|url=http://earthsky.org/space/first-maps-of-charon-and-pluto|website=earthsky.org|date=August 2015 |publisher=EarthSky Communications Inc.|accessdate=3 April 2018}} These names remain unofficial until accepted by the IAU.
On 11 April 2018, the IAU announced that several of the feature names had been officially recognized.{{cite web|title=Pluto's Largest Moon, Charon, Gets Its First Official Feature Names|url=https://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau1803/|website=www.iau.org|publisher=IAU General Assembly 2018|accessdate=11 April 2018}}
Terrae
A terra (plural terrae) is an extensive landmass or highland. Charon's only highland region is named after a fictional destination.
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Feature | Named after | Details | Name approved {{small|(Date{{·}}Ref)}} |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oz Terra{{cite web|last1=Singer|first1=Kelsi|title=New Horizons: Peering into Pluto's Past|url=http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/Press-Conferences/2016-03-21/Slide28.png|website=New Horizons|publisher=Lunar and Planetary Science Conference|accessdate=March 21, 2016|archive-date=2017-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510085014/http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/Press-Conferences/2016-03-21/Slide28.png|url-status=dead}} | Land of Oz | The setting for L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz children's novel | — |
Dorsa
A dorsum (plural dorsa) is a ridge. Charon's only dorsum is named after an author.
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Feature | Named after | Details | Name approved {{small|(Date{{·}}Ref)}} |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCaffrey Dorsum | Anne McCaffrey | American-Irish science fiction author, best known for the Dragonriders of Pern series | 2020-08-05{{·}}{{WGPSN|15928}} |
Maculae
A macula (plural maculae) is a dark spot. Charonian maculae are named after fictional destinations.
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Feature | Named after | Details | Name approved {{small|(Date{{·}}Ref)}} |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallifrey Macula | Gallifrey | Planet in the Doctor Who series | — |
| Mordor Macula | Mordor | Land in the Tolkien mythology | — |
Planitiae
A planitia (plural planitiae) is a large plain. Charon's only planitia is named after a fictional destination.
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Feature | Named after | Details | Name approved {{small|(Date{{·}}Ref)}} |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vulcan Planitia | Vulcan | Planet in the Star Trek series | — |
Montes
A mons (plural montes) is a mountain. Montes on Charon are named after authors and artists.
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Feature | Named after | Details | Name approved {{small|(Date{{·}}Ref)}} |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler Mons | Octavia E. Butler | Science fiction author | 2018-04-11{{·}}{{WGPSN|15735}} |
| Clarke Montes | Arthur C. Clarke | Science fiction author | 2018-04-11{{·}}{{WGPSN|15737}} |
| Kubrick Mons | Stanley Kubrick | Film director | 2018-04-11{{·}}{{WGPSN|15736}} |
Chasmata
A chasma (plural chasmata) is a deep, elongated, steep-sided depression. Charonian chasmata are named after vessels in fiction.
Craters
File:Ripley Crater in Color.jpg. Nostromo Chasma crosses Ripley vertically. Vader is the dark crater at 12:00, Organa Crater is at 9:00, Skywalker Crater at 8:00, Gallifrey Macula and Tardis Chasma at 4:00.]]
Craters on Charon are named after characters associated with science fiction and fantasy.
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Feature | Named after | Details | Name approved {{small|(Date{{·}}Ref)}} |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alice | Alice | Protagonist of two novels by Lewis Carroll | — |
| Cora
|Cora |Protagonist of The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead |2020-08-05{{·}}{{WGPSN|15927}} | |||
| Dorothy{{cite journal|last1=Grundy|first1=W. M.|title=Surface compositions across Pluto and Charon|journal=Science|volume=351|issue=6279|pages=aad9189|publisher=Science 351|doi=10.1126/science.aad9189|pmid=26989260|display-authors=etal|arxiv = 1604.05368 |bibcode = 2016Sci...351.9189G |year=2016|s2cid=1247225 }} | Dorothy Gale | Protagonist of the Oz novels by L. Frank Baum | 2018-04-11{{·}}{{WGPSN|15738}} |
| Kaguya-Hime | Kaguya-Hime | Princess from the Moon in a Japanese folk tale | — |
| Kirk | James T. Kirk | Character in the Star Trek series | — |
| Organa | Leia Organa | Character in the Star Wars films | — |
| Nasreddin | Nasreddin | Sufi traveller from folklore | 2018-04-11{{·}}{{WGPSN|15739}} |
| Nemo | Captain Nemo | Character in two novels by Jules Verne | 2018-04-11{{·}}{{WGPSN|15743}} |
| Pirx | Pilot Pirx | Main character in short stories by Stanisław Lem | 2018-04-11{{·}}{{WGPSN|15740}} |
| Revati | Revati | Main character in the Hindu epic narrative Mahabharata | 2018-04-11{{·}}{{WGPSN|15741}} |
| Ripley | Ellen Ripley | Character in the Alien films | — |
| Sadko | Sadko | Adventurer who traveled to the bottom of the sea in the medieval Russian epic Bylina | 2018-04-11{{·}}{{WGPSN|15742}} |
| Skywalker | Luke Skywalker | Character in the Star Wars films | — |
| Spock | Spock | Character in the Star Trek series | — |
| Sulu | Hikaru Sulu | Character in the Star Trek series | — |
| Uhura | Nyota Uhura | Character in the Star Trek series | — |
| Vader | Darth Vader | Character in the Star Wars films | — |
See also
References
{{Reflist}}