Vulcan Planum
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
File:Charon-Map-Annotated.jpg
An annotated map of Charon, with Vulcan Planum in the centre of the image
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Location | Charon |
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Discoverer | New Horizons |
Vulcan /ˈvʌlkən/ is a large plain on the surface of Pluto's moon Charon, discovered by New Horizons during its flyby of Pluto in July 2015. It is named after the fictional planet Vulcan in the science-fiction series Star Trek.
Geography
Vulcan Planum has a mostly smooth surface with no large craters. The more significant craters have been named after characters from Star Trek, while two mountains have been named after science-fiction authors and directors.
List of named geological features[1]
Feature | Type | Named After | Mythos |
---|---|---|---|
Clarke Mons | mountain | Arthur C. Clarke | science-fiction author |
Kubrick Mons | mountain | Stanley Kubrick | science-fiction author |
Kirk Crater | crater | James T. Kirk | Star Trek series |
Spock Crater | crater | Spock | Star Trek series |
Sulu Crater | crater | Hikaru Sulu | Star Trek series |
Uhura Crater | crater | Nyota Uhura | Star Trek series |