Butler Mons
Butler Mons is a mountain located on Pluto's moon Charon,[1] on the side that faces Pluto.[2]
Description
[edit]Butler Mons is a solitary massif with an estimated peak of 4.5 kilometres (4,500 m)[3] and length of 91 kilometres (57 mi).[4]
The largest observed mountain on Charon, it rises out of a geological moat in the smooth plain known as Vulcan Planitia.[3][5] It shares orographical similarities with Kubrick Mons, located on the same plain.[5]
Discovery
[edit]On July 14, 2015, as part of its New Frontiers program, NASA conducted a flyby of Charon using the space probe New Horizons.[6] Butler Mons was one of several unexpected features observed on Charon's surface, alongside canyons and landslides.[6]
Name
[edit]In partnership with NASA and the International Astronomical Union, the SETI Institute ran a campaign in 2017 encouraging members of the public to submit names for surface features on Pluto and its moons.[7] For Charon, entrants were asked to submit names that matched the theme of authors and artists "associated with space exploration".[7] Butler Mons was subsequently named for the American science fiction author Octavia E. Butler.[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Charon – Butler Mons". USGS Astrogeology Science Center. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ↑ Beyer, Ross A.; et al. (2020). "The far side of Charon". 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (PDF).
- 1 2 Beyer, Ross A.; Spencer, John R.; McKinnon, William B.; Nimmo, Francis; Beddingfield, Chloe; Grundy, W.M.; Ennico, K.; Tuttle Keane, James; Moore, Jeffrey M.; Olkin, C.B.; Robbins, Stuart; Runyon, Kirby; Schenk, Paul; Singer, Kelsi; Stern, S. Alan (2019). "The nature and origin of Charon's smooth plains". Icarus. 323: 16–32. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2018.12.036. ISSN 0019-1035.
- ↑ Beyer, R. A. (2020), "Appendix A: Pluto and Charon Nomenclature" (PDF), The Pluto System After New Horizons, University of Arizona Press, pp. 1–1, doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816540945-ch027, retrieved 2026-09-10
- 1 2 Beyer, Ross A.; Robbins, Stuart J.; Beddingfield, Chloe; Bierson, Carver J.; Ennico, Kimberly; Lauer, Tod R.; McKinnon, William B.; Moore, Jeffrey M.; Runyon, Kirby; Olkin, Catherine B.; Schenk, Paul M.; Singer, Kelsi N.; Spencer, John R.; Stern, S. Alan; Weaver, Harold A. (2021-08-01). "Charon's Far Side Geomorphology". The Planetary Science Journal. 2 (4): 141. doi:10.3847/PSJ/ac09e9. ISSN 2632-3338.
- 1 2 Talbert, Trisha (October 1, 2015). "Pluto's Big Moon Charon Reveals a Colorful and Violent History". NASA. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
- 1 2 Christensen, Lars Lindberg (23 February 2017). "Official Naming of Surface Features on Pluto and its Satellites: First Step Approved". International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
- ↑ Trevino, Julissa (2018). "Sci-Fi and Snakes Rule in New Official Names for Features on Pluto's Largest Moon and Mercury". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2025-08-29.