Crater characteristics
Nasreddin crater appears in the center of this image
MoonCharon
Coordinates25°30′N 51°24′W / 25.5°N 51.4°W / 25.5; -51.4 (Nasreddin)[1]
Diameter29.7 kilometres (18.5 mi)
DiscovererNew Horizons
EponymSufi traveler from folklore

Nasreddin is a crater on Pluto's largest moon, Charon. The crater was first observed by NASA's New Horizons space probe on its flyby of Pluto in 2015. The name was chosen as a reference to Nasreddin, the hero of humorous folktales told throughout the Middle East, Southern Europe, and parts of Asia.[1]

The location of Nasreddin crater is in the northern Pluto-facing hemisphere of Charon, north of Mandjet Chasma in a region informally called Oz Terra.[2] The crater has bright bluish rays, which have exposed both ammonia ice and water ice.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Nasreddin (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ^ "International Astronomical Union". www.iau.org. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  3. ^ Robbins, Stuart J.; Beyer, Ross A.; Spencer, John R.; et al. (January 2019). "Geologic Landforms and Chronostratigraphic History of Charon as Revealed by a Hemispheric Geologic Map". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 124 (1): 155–174. Bibcode:2019JGRE..124..155R. doi:10.1029/2018JE005684. S2CID 134425302.


Categories