Vader (crater)
 Photo of Charon centered on Ripley Crater. Nostromo Chasma crosses Ripley vertically. Organa Crater is at 9:00, and Vader is the dark crater at 12:00 | |
| Feature type | Impact crater |
|---|---|
| Location | Charon |
| Coordinates | 55°N 15°W / 55°N 15°W[1] |
| Discoverer | New Horizons |
| Naming | Unofficial |
| Eponym | Darth Vader |
Vader is the unofficial name given to a dark crater on Pluto's largest moon Charon. The floor of Vader is darker than the surrounding terrain, covered in the same reddish-brown dark material that covers Mordor Macula on Charon's north pole. Though Charon's surface trends darker with increasing latitude, some craters, such as Vader, interrupt this trend.[2] The crater was discovered by NASA's New Horizons space probe on its way by Pluto. It is named after the character Darth Vader from the Star Wars media franchise; the name has yet to be officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Global map of Charon". Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ Grundy, W. M.; Binzel, R. P.; Buratti, B. J.; et al. (March 2016). "Surface compositions across Pluto and Charon". Science. 351 (6279). arXiv:1604.05368. Bibcode:2016Sci...351.9189G. doi:10.1126/science.aad9189. aad9189 (2016).
- ^ Wall, Mike (3 August 2015). "Vader Crater, Kirk & Spock! 'Star Wars,' 'Star Trek' Collide on Pluto Moon". Space.com.
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