List of geological features on Pluto

This is a list of named geological features on Pluto, identified by scientists working with data from the New Horizons spacecraft. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially approved the first 14 names on 8 August 2017 (announced 7 September 2017),[2] with additional names following in 2018 and 2019,[1] but most of the names listed on this page are still informal.[3] The IAU has determined that names will be chosen from the following themes:[4][5]

Names for the underworld from the world's mythologies
Gods, goddesses, and dwarfs associated with the underworld
Heroes and other explorers of the underworld
Writers associated with Pluto and the Kuiper belt
Pioneering space missions and spacecraft
Scientists and engineers associated with Pluto and the Kuiper belt

A map of Pluto showing the names officially approved by the IAU as of 8 August 2019.[1]

Cavi

A cavus is a hollow or steep-sided depression. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4][6]

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Adlivun Cavus	Underworld in Inuit myths	2017-08-08 · WGPSN
Baralku Cavi	Baralku, the island of the dead in Yolngu culture	—
Hekla Cavus	An Icelandic volcano believed to be the entrance to Hell in medieval European times	2018-05-30 · WGPSN
Quidlivun Cavus	The land on the Moon where the souls of the dead find rest in Inuit mythology	—

Colles

A collis is a low hill. Plutonian colles are named after spacecraft that operated in Earth orbit. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4]

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Astrid Colles	The Astrid program, Sweden's first satellites	—
Challenger Colles	Honors the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger	—
Coleta de Dados Colles	Satélite de Coleta de Dados, first Brazilian satellite	—
Columbia Colles	Honors the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia	—
Soyuz Colles	The Soyuz program; honors the loss of Soyuz 11	—

Craters

Plutonian craters are named after scientists and other people associated with the study of Pluto. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4]

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Brinton	Henry Brinton, NASA administrator instrumental in Pluto studies	—
Burney	Venetia Burney, who proposed the name of Pluto	2017-08-08 · WGPSN
Coradini	Angioletta Coradini, Italian astronomer	—
Coughlin	Thomas Boyd Coughlin, American mechanical and space engineer, first project manager of the New Horizons mission	2020-01-03 · WGPSN
Drake	Michael Julian Drake, British-American astronomer who chaired the committee that approved the New Horizons mission	—
Elliot	James L. Elliot, discoverer of Pluto's atmosphere	2017-08-08 · WGPSN
Farinella	Paolo Farinella, Italian astronomer	—
Giclas	Henry L. Giclas, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory	—
Guest	John Guest, British volcanologist and planetary scientist	—
H. Smith	Harlan Smith, astronomer and director of McDonald Observatory	—
Hardie	Robert H. Hardie, American astronomer, co-discoverer of Pluto’s 6.4-day rotation period	2020-01-03 · WGPSN
Harrington	Robert Sutton Harrington, co-discoverer of Charon	—
Hollis	Andrew Hollis, British astronomer	—
K. Edgeworth	Kenneth Edgeworth, Irish astronomer who posited the Kuiper Belt	—
Khare	Bishun Khare, Indian-American chemist specialized in planetary atmospheres, studied tholins extensively	2019-05-30 · WGPSN
Kiladze	Rolan Il'ich Kiladze, Georgian astronomer who investigated the dynamics, astrometry, and photometry of Pluto	2019-05-30 · WGPSN
Kowal	Charles T. Kowal, American astronomer who discovered the first centaur	—
Oort	Jan Oort, Dutch astronomer who posited the Oort Cloud	—
Pulfrich	Carl Pulfrich, German physicist who developed the blink-comparator used to discover Pluto	—
Safronov	Viktor Safronov, Russian astronomer	—
Simonelli	Damon Simonelli, American astronomer and Pluto geologist	2019-05-30 · WGPSN

Dorsa

A dorsum is a ridge. Plutonian dorsa are named after underworlds in mythology. The following is a list officia iand unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4]

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Pandemonium Dorsa	Pandæmonium, the capital of Hell in the poems of John Milton	—
Tartarus Dorsa	Tartarus, the pit of hell in Greek mythology	2017-08-08 · WGPSN

Fluctūs

A Fluctus is a terrain covered by outflow of liquid. Plutonian fluctūs are named after travellers to the underworld. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4] [6]

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Dionysus Fluctus	The god Dionysus from Greek mythology, who travels to Hades (the underworld) to bring the playwright Euripides back	—
Mpobe Fluctus	Mpobe from Baganda mythology, a hero who willingly enters the underground world	—
Pere Porter Fluctus	Pere Porter is the character of a 16th-17th century moral novel who travels to hell	—
Xanthias Fluctus	Xanthias from Greek mythology, the slave who joins Dionysus on his travel to the underworld	—

Fossae

A fossa is a ditch-like feature. Plutonian fossae are named after figures associated with underworld myths. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4]

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Beatrice Fossa	Beatrice Portinari, Purgatory to Heaven in The Divine Comedy	—
Djanggawul Fossae	Djanggawul, Yolngu creation figures from the Island of the Dead	2017-08-08 · WGPSN
Dumuzi Fossa	Dumuzid, legendary Sumerian king who replaced his wife Inanna in the underworld	—
Hermod Fossae	Hermod, son of Odin, who rode the horse Sleipnir into the underworld to retrieve his brother Balder	2019-09-25 · WGPSN
Inanna Fossa	Inanna, Sumerian goddess who descended to the underworld	—
Kaknú Fossa	Kaknú, legendary Ohlone hero who resembled a peregrine falcon, who travelled to the underworld to battle Wiwe	2019-08-13 · WGPSN
Mwindo Fossae	Mwindo, legendary Nyanga hero who travelled to the underworld	2019-05-30 · WGPSN
Sleipnir Fossa	Sleipnir, the steed Odin rides to the underworld	2017-08-08 · WGPSN
Sun Wukong Fossa	Sun Wukong, the Chinese Monkey King who went to Hell	—
Uncama Fossa	Uncama, Zulu tale hero who followed a porcupine underground and came upon the village of dead souls	2020-01-03 · WGPSN
Virgil Fossae	Virgil, as Dante's guide through Hell and Purgatory in The Divine Comedy	2017-08-08 · WGPSN

Lacūs

A lacus is a small plain, derived from the word lake. The following is a list of names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4][6]

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Alcyonia Lacus	Lerna, also known as the Alcyonian Lake, was an entry to the netherworld in Greek mythology.	2019-05-30 · WGPSN

Lineae

A linea is an elongated marking. Plutonian lineae are named after space probes. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4]

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Chandrayaan Linea	the Chandrayaan program, India's first lunar probes	—
Luna Linea	the Luna program, the first spacecraft to visit the Moon	—
Yutu Linea	Yutu, the first Chinese lunar rover	—

Maculae

A macula is a dark spot. Plutonian maculae are named after underworld creatures from fiction and mythology. The following is a list of names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4] Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Ala Macula	Ala, an Igbo god of the underworld	—
Balrog Macula	balrog, an underground demon in the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien	—
Cadejo Macula	cadejo, from Central American folklore	—
Cthulhu Macula[7]	Cthulhu, an ancient deity in the writings of H.P. Lovecraft	—
Hun-Came Macula	One of the two leading Maya death gods from the Popol Vuh	—
Krun Macula	Krun, the Mandaean overlord of the underworld	—
Meng-p'o Macula	Meng Po, the Chinese goddess of forgetfulness after death	—
Morgoth Macula	Morgoth, a figure of evil in the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien	—
Vucub-Came Macula	One of the two leading Maya death gods from the Popol Vuh	—

Montes

A mons is a mountain. Plutonian montes (mountain ranges) are named after explorers and adventurers. The following is a list of names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4] Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Al-Idrisi Montes	Muhammad al-Idrisi, medieval Almoravid explorer	2017-08-08 · WGPSN
Baret Montes^a	Jeanne Baret, first woman to have completed circumnavigation voyage of the globe	2018-04-26 · WGPSN
Elcano Montes	Juan Sebastián Elcano, completed Magellan's circumnavigation after his death	2019-05-30 · WGPSN
Hillary Montes	Edmund Hillary, first to scale Mount Everest (with Tenzing Norgay)	2017-08-08 · WGPSN
Piccard Mons	Auguste Piccard, conducted measurements of the upper atmosphere using balloons to reach an altitude of 23 kilometers	2019-05-30 · WGPSN
Pigafetta Montes	Antonio Pigafetta, participated in Magellan's circumnavigation and wrote its only first-hand record	2019-05-30 · WGPSN
Tabei Montes	Junko Tabei, first woman to climb both Mount Everest and the Seven Summits	2019-11-19 · WGPSN
Tenzing Montes^b	Tenzing Norgay, first to scale Mount Everest (with Edmund Hillary)	2017-08-08 · WGPSN
Wright Mons	Wilbur and Orville Wright, built and flew the first successful airplane	2019-05-30 · WGPSN
Zheng He Montes	Zheng He, medieval Chinese explorer	—

a.^ Formerly Baré Montes

b.^ Formerly Norgay Montes

Paludes

A palus (literally swamp) is a small plain. Paludes on Pluto are named after historic explorers. The following is a list of names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4][6] Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
David-Néel Palus	Alexandra David-Néel, Belgian–French explorer, best known for her 1924 visit to Lhasa, Tibet	—
Hyecho Palus	Hyecho, Korean traveler and scholar, crossed Asia from China to Arabia and back in 724-727	2020-01-02 · WGPSN
Tinné Paludes	Alexandrine Tinné, Dutch explorer in Africa, the first European woman to attempt to cross the Sahara	—

Plana

A planum is a plateau or high plain. One (Sputnik Planum) was initially identified on Pluto; but it has since been recognized to be a planitia.

Planitiae

A planitia is a low plain, distinct from plana as they are located on lower terrain. The following is a list of names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4] Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Bird Planitia [8]	Isabella Bird, nineteenth-century English explorer[9]	—
Sputnik Planitia [10]	Sputnik 1, the first satellite to orbit the Earth	2017-08-08 · WGPSN

Regiones

A regio is a region geographically distinct from its surroundings. Plutonian regiones are named after underworld spirits in fiction and mythology, or after scientists associated with the study of Pluto. The following is a list of names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4] Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such. One such feature, the former Cthulhu Regio, is now considered to be a macula.[11][7]

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Lowell Regio	Percival Lowell, whose ideas about Planet X inadvertently led to Pluto's discovery	2019-05-30 · WGPSN
Tombaugh Regio	Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto	2017-08-08 · WGPSN

Rupēs

A rupes is an escarpment. Plutonian rupēs are named after explorers. The following is a list of names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4] Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Cousteau Rupes	Jacques Cousteau, undersea explorer	—
Eriksson Rupes	Leif Erikson, first Norse explorer of America	—
Piri Rupes	Piri Reis, creator of the one of the first map of the New World[10]	2019-05-30 · WGPSN

Terrae

A terra is an extensive landmass. Plutonian terrae are named after space probes. The following is a list of names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4] Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Hayabusa Terra	Hayabusa, the first spacecraft to return a sample of an asteroid	2017-08-08 · WGPSN
Pioneer Terra	the Pioneer program, the first spacecraft to explore the outer Solar System	—
Vega Terra	the Vega program, which dropped probes onto Venus' surface along with the first close flybys to Comet Halley[10]	2019-05-30 · WGPSN
Venera Terra	the Venera program, first landers on Venus	2019-05-30 · WGPSN
Viking Terra	the Viking program, landers on Mars	—
Voyager Terra	the Voyager program, the first probes to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and interstellar space	2017-08-08 · WGPSN

Valles

A vallis is a valley. Plutonian valles are named after historic explorers. The following is a list of names chosen by the New Horizons team.[4][6] Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Name approved (Date · Ref)
Heyerdahl Vallis	Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian adventurer and ethnographer	—
Hunahpu Valles	Hunahpu, one of the mythological Maya Hero Twins	2019-05-30 · WGPSN
Kupe Vallis	Kupe, legendary discoverer of New Zealand	—

References

International Astronomical Union Approves Second Set of Pluto Feature Names, NASA, 8 August 2019
"Pluto Features Given First Official Names". NASA. 2017-09-07.
"Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). Retrieved 12 August 2018.
"Informal Names for Features on Pluto". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
"Naming of Astronomical Objects". IAU – International Astronomical Unition. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
Oliver L. White, Jeffrey M. Moore, William B. McKinnon, John R. Spencer, Alan D. Howard, Paul M. Schenk, Ross A. Beyer, Francis Nimmo, Kelsi N. Singer, Orkan M. Umurhan, S. Alan Stern, Kimberly Ennico, Cathy B. Olkin, Harold A. Weaver, Leslie A. Young, Andrew F. Cheng, Tanguy Bertrand, Richard P. Binzel, Alissa M. Earle, Will M. Grundy, Tod R. Lauer, Silvia Protopapa, Stuart J. Robbins, Bernard Schmitt, the New Horizons Science Team (2017). "Geological mapping of Sputnik Planitia on Pluto" (PDF). Icarus. 287: 261–286. Bibcode:2017Icar..287..261W. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.01.011. Retrieved 6 January 2017.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Stern, S. A.; Grundy, W.; McKinnon, W. B.; Weaver, H. A.; Young, L. A. (2018). "The Pluto System After New Horizons". Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. 56: 357–392. arXiv:1712.05669. Bibcode:2018ARA&A..56..357S. doi:10.1146/annurev-astro-081817-051935.
https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2016/pdf/2284.pdf
"Public campaign to name the surface features on Pluto and Charon". SETI Institute. Archived from the original on 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
"What's eating at Pluto?". NASA. NASA. 2016-03-11. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
Amanda M. Zangari; et al. (November 2015). "New Horizons disk-integrated approach photometry of Pluto and Charon". AAA/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts #47: 210.01. Bibcode:2015DPS....4721001Z.

External links

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[Names20190808-1] International Astronomical Union Approves Second Set of Pluto Feature Names, NASA, 8 August 2019

[name_approval-2] "Pluto Features Given First Official Names". NASA. 2017-09-07.

[WGPSN-3] "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). Retrieved 12 August 2018.

[Named-Features-4] "Informal Names for Features on Pluto". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 April 2020.

[5] "Naming of Astronomical Objects". IAU – International Astronomical Unition. Retrieved 13 August 2017.

[Sputnik_Planitia_geology-6] Oliver L. White, Jeffrey M. Moore, William B. McKinnon, John R. Spencer, Alan D. Howard, Paul M. Schenk, Ross A. Beyer, Francis Nimmo, Kelsi N. Singer, Orkan M. Umurhan, S. Alan Stern, Kimberly Ennico, Cathy B. Olkin, Harold A. Weaver, Leslie A. Young, Andrew F. Cheng, Tanguy Bertrand, Richard P. Binzel, Alissa M. Earle, Will M. Grundy, Tod R. Lauer, Silvia Protopapa, Stuart J. Robbins, Bernard Schmitt, the New Horizons Science Team (2017). "Geological mapping of Sputnik Planitia on Pluto" (PDF). Icarus. 287: 261–286. Bibcode:2017Icar..287..261W. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.01.011. Retrieved 6 January 2017.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[Pluto_System_after_New_Horizons-7] Stern, S. A.; Grundy, W.; McKinnon, W. B.; Weaver, H. A.; Young, L. A. (2018). "The Pluto System After New Horizons". Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. 56: 357–392. arXiv:1712.05669. Bibcode:2018ARA&A..56..357S. doi:10.1146/annurev-astro-081817-051935.

[8] ttps://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2016/pdf/2284.pdf

[voting1-9] "Public campaign to name the surface features on Pluto and Charon". SETI Institute. Archived from the original on 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2017-09-07.

[whateatingatplutonasa-10] "What's eating at Pluto?". NASA. NASA. 2016-03-11. Retrieved March 11, 2016.

[disk-integrated_photometry-11] Amanda M. Zangari; et al. (November 2015). "New Horizons disk-integrated approach photometry of Pluto and Charon". AAA/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts #47: 210.01. Bibcode:2015DPS....4721001Z.

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