Vulcan Planum is the unofficial name given to a large plain on the surface of Pluto's moon

Charon In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon (; grc, Χάρων) is a psychopomp, the ferryman of Hades, the Greek underworld. He carries the souls of those who have been given funeral rites across the rivers Acheron and Styx, which separate the wo ...

, discovered by ''

New Horizons ''New Horizons'' is an Interplanetary spaceflight, interplanetary space probe that was launched as a part of NASA's New Frontiers program. Engineered by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Southwest Research ...

'' during its flyby of Pluto in July 2015. It is named after the fictional planet

Vulcan Vulcan may refer to: Mythology * Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...

in the science-fiction series ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

''. The name is not approved by

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

, .

Geography

Vulcan Planum is in the southern hemisphere of Charon. Its extents are not completely known, but it occupies at least . Vulcan Planum is separated from Oz Terra by a series of scarps that are several kilometers high. It has a mostly smooth surface with no large craters, and its elevation is about 1 km lower than Oz Terra's. This suggests that Vulcan Planum is younger than Oz, and formed as a result of a large cryoflow, which has solidified. 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

The features included this table lie within Vulcan Planum.

References

Surface features of Charon Star Trek {{crater-stub