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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 April 2020[update], 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:[1][2]
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.[3] 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.[4]
A terra (plural terrae) is an extensive landmass or highland. Charon's only highland region is named after a fictional destination.
| Feature | Named after | Details | Name approved (Date · Ref) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oz Terra[5] | Land of Oz | The setting for L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz children's novel | — |
A dorsum (plural dorsa) is a ridge. Charon's only dorsum is named after an author.
| Feature | Named after | Details | Name approved (Date · Ref) |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCaffrey Dorsum | Anne McCaffrey | American-Irish science fiction author, best known for the Dragonriders of Pern series | 2020-08-05 · WGPSN |
A macula (plural maculae) is a dark spot. Charonian maculae are named after fictional destinations.
| Feature | Named after | Details | Name approved (Date · Ref) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallifrey Macula | Gallifrey | Planet in the Doctor Who series | — |
| Mordor Macula | Mordor | Land in the Tolkien mythology | — |
A planitia (plural planitiae) is a large plain. Charon's only planitia is named after a fictional destination.
| Feature | Named after | Details | Name approved (Date · Ref) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vulcan Planitia | Vulcan | Planet in the Star Trek series | — |
A mons (plural montes) is a mountain. Montes on Charon are named after authors and artists.
| Feature | Named after | Details | Name approved (Date · Ref) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler Mons | Octavia E. Butler | science-fiction author | 2018-04-11 · WGPSN |
| Clarke Montes | Arthur C. Clarke | science-fiction author | 2018-04-11 · WGPSN |
| Kubrick Mons | Stanley Kubrick | film director | 2018-04-11 · WGPSN |
A chasma (plural chasmata) is a deep, elongated, steep-sided depression. Charonian chasmata are named after vessels in fiction.
| Feature | Named after | Details | Name approved (Date · Ref) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argo Chasma | Argo | ship in the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts, as well as the spaceship in the English translation of the Space Battleship Yamato anime series | 2018-04-11 · WGPSN |
| Caleuche Chasma | Caleuche | mythological ghost ship that travels the seas around the small island of Chiloé Island, off the coast of Chile, collecting the dead, who then live aboard it forever | 2018-04-11 · WGPSN |
| Macross Chasma | SDF-1 Macross | spaceship in the Macross anime series | — |
| Mandjet Chasma[6] | Mandjet | solar boat of the ancient Egyptian sun god Ra | 2018-04-11 · WGPSN |
| Nostromo Chasma | Nostromo | spaceship in the Alien films | — |
| Serenity Chasma | Serenity | spaceship in the Firefly series | — |
| Tardis Chasma | TARDIS | spaceship/timeship in the Doctor Who series | — |
Craters on Charon are named after characters associated with science fiction and fantasy.
| Feature | Named after | Details | Name approved (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 |
| Dorothy[7] | Dorothy Gale | protagonist of the Oz novels by L. Frank Baum | 2018-04-11 · WGPSN |
| 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 |
| Nemo | Captain Nemo | character in two novels by Jules Verne | 2018-04-11 · WGPSN |
| Pirx | Pilot Pirx | main character in short stories by Stanisław Lem | 2018-04-11 · WGPSN |
| Revati | Revati | main character in the Hindu epic narrative Mahabharata | 2018-04-11 · WGPSN |
| 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 |
| 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 | — |
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