The Taniquetil Montes are a range of mountains on Titan, the largest moon of the planet Saturn. The range is located near Titan's equator, between 2-4° south and 211-214° west.[1] It is located within the Adiri region, just west of the landing site of the Huygens probe.[2]

The Taniquetil Montes are named after Taniquetil, a mountain in the Undying Lands in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe.[1] The name follows a convention that Titanean mountains are named after mountains in Tolkien's work.[3] It was formally announced on November 13, 2012.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "Taniquetil Montes". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). 2012-11-13. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
  2. ^ United States Geological Survey. "Titan with VIMS background and RADAR strips". Accessed 14 Nov, 2012.
  3. ^ International Astronomical Union. "Categories for Naming Features on Planets and Satellites". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Accessed Nov 14, 2012.
  4. ^ Jennifer Blue, "Eight New Names for Titan Surface Features". USGS Astrologeology Science Center. Nov 13, 2012.


Categories