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.
, 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] As of December 2025, this list contains 55 geological features, 14 of which are official.
A chasma (plural chasmata) is a deep, elongated, steep-sided depression. Charonian chasmata are named after vessels in fiction. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.[5]
| Feature | Named after | Details | Approval | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 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 | ||
| Macross Chasma | SDF-1 Macross | Spaceship in the Macross anime series | — | |
| Mandjet Chasma[6] | Mandjet | 2018-04-11 | ||
| Nostromo | Spaceship in the Alien films | — | ||
| Serenity | Spaceship in the Firefly series | — | ||
| Tardis Chasma | Spaceship/timeship in the Doctor Who series | — |
Craters on Charon are named after characters associated with science fiction and fantasy. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.
| Feature | Named after | Details | Approval | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahab | Captain Ahab | Protagonist from Moby-Dick by Herman Melville | — | |
| Alice | — | |||
| Arroway | Eleanor Arroway | Protagonist from Contact by Carl Sagan | — | |
| Beowolf | Beowulf | Protagonist from the Old English poem of the same name | — | |
| Candide | Candide | Protagonist from the French satire of the same name written by Voltaire | — | |
| Cunegonde | Cunégonde | Character from Candide by Voltaire | — | |
| Cora | Cora | Protagonist from The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead | 2020-08-05 | |
| Dinga | — | |||
| Dorothy[7] | 2018-04-11 | |||
| Fierro | — | |||
| Finn | Huckleberry Finn | Protagonist from the novel of the same name by Mark Twain | — | |
| Guildenstern | Guildenstern | Character from Hamlet by William Shakespeare | — | |
| Jim | Jim | Character from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain | — | |
| Kaguya-Hime | Princess from the Moon in a Japanese folk tale | — | ||
| Kersain | — | |||
| Kukudmi | Kakudmi | Character from the Hindu epic narrative Mahabharata | — | |
| Character from the Star Trek series | — | |||
| Lāčplēsis | Lāčplēsis | Character from the epic poem of the same name by Andrejs Pumpurs | — | |
| Madoc | Madoc | Welsh prince from folklore who sailed to the Americas in 1170, over 300 years before Columbus | — | |
| Sufi traveller from folklore | 2018-04-11 | |||
| Nemo | 2018-04-11 | |||
| Organa | Leia Organa | Character from the Star Wars films | — | |
| Pangloss | Pangloss | — | ||
| Panza | Sancho Panza | Character from Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra | — | |
| 2018-04-11 | ||||
| Revati | 2018-04-11 | |||
| Rosencrantz | Rosencrantz | Character from Hamlet by William Shakespeare | — | |
| Character from the Alien films | — | |||
| Sadko | 2018-04-11[8] | |||
| Skywalker | Character from the Star Wars films | — | ||
| Spock | Character from the Star Trek series | — | ||
| Sundiata | Sundiata Keita | Founder and first king of the Mali Empire, also the protagonist of the Malinke epic of the same name | — | |
| Sulu | Hikaru Sulu | Character from the Star Trek series | — | |
| Tarō | — | |||
| Tichy | Ijon Tichy | Main character from short stories by Stanisław Lem | — | |
| Tintin | Tintin | Character from the comic series of the same name by Hergé | — | |
| Uhura | Character from the Star Trek series | — | ||
| Utnapishtim | Utnapishtim | Character from the Epic of Gilgamesh | — | |
| Character from the Star Wars films | — |
A dorsum (plural dorsa) is a ridge. Charon's only dorsum is named after an author. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.
A macula (plural maculae) is a dark spot. Charonian maculae are named after fictional destinations. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.
| Feature | Named after | Details | Approval | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planet in the Doctor Who series | — | |||
| — |
A mons (plural montes) is a mountain. Montes on Charon are named after authors and artists. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.
| Feature | Named after | Details | Approval | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Science fiction author | 2018-04-11 | |||
| Clarke Montes | Science fiction author | 2018-04-11 | ||
| Film director | 2018-04-11 |
A planitia (plural planitiae) is a large plain. Charon's only planitia is named after a fictional destination. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.
A terra (plural terrae) is an extensive landmass or highland. Charon's only terra is named after a fictional destination. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.
A vallis (plural valles) is valley. Charon's only vallis is named after a vessel in fiction. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.
