How Do Features on Pluto and Its Moons Get Their Names?
Learn how physical features on Pluto, Charon, and nearby moons are named according to guidelines set out by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
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Transcript
How do places on Pluto get their names?
The International Astronomical Union has approved themes for naming surface features on the dwarf planet Pluto and its moon Charon.
When the New horizons spacecraft flew by Pluto in 2015, it observed many new features on these worlds.
Among the themes for Pluto are gods and goddesses of the underworld, scientists who studied Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, and pioneering spacecraft.
Features on Charon can be named after fictional space vessels and their destinations, as well as fictional and mythological explorers and authors and artists who have depicted space exploration.
Even Pluto’s smaller moons have official naming schemes.
The tiny moon Styx will have places named after river gods.
Nix will have night gods and goddesses.
Hydra, legendary serpents and dragons.
Kerberos goes to the dogs, with features named after dogs from literature, myth, and history. Snoopy crater, anyone?
The International Astronomical Union has approved themes for naming surface features on the dwarf planet Pluto and its moon Charon.
When the New horizons spacecraft flew by Pluto in 2015, it observed many new features on these worlds.
Among the themes for Pluto are gods and goddesses of the underworld, scientists who studied Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, and pioneering spacecraft.
Features on Charon can be named after fictional space vessels and their destinations, as well as fictional and mythological explorers and authors and artists who have depicted space exploration.
Even Pluto’s smaller moons have official naming schemes.
The tiny moon Styx will have places named after river gods.
Nix will have night gods and goddesses.
Hydra, legendary serpents and dragons.
Kerberos goes to the dogs, with features named after dogs from literature, myth, and history. Snoopy crater, anyone?
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