Astronomy:Caleuche Chasma
 Caleuche Chasma can be seen close to the top-left corner of this map | |
| Feature type | Chasma |
|---|---|
| Location | Charon's northern hemisphere |
| Coordinates | [ ⚑ ] : 72°30′N 241°48′E / 72.5°N 241.8°E[1] |
| Length | 400 km |
| Depth | ~13 km |
| Discoverer | New Horizons |
| Eponym | Caleuche, a Chilean legendary ghost ship |
Caleuche Chasma is a Y-shaped chasma on Pluto's moon, Charon. Caleuche Chasma is 400 km (250 mi) long. The feature was discovered using stereoscopic processing of New Horizons images. At approximately 13 km (8.1 mi) deep, it is the deepest known feature on the natural satellite,[2] and one of the deepest known canyons in the Solar System.
Naming
Caleuche Chasma got its official name from the International Astronomical Union (IAU) along with eleven other surface features of Charon on 11 April 2018[3] in response to a proposal by NASA's New Horizons team. It is named for El Caleuche, the mythical Chilean ghost ship. The designation was a part of the Our Pluto initiative by New Horizons, which invited the general public to suggest and vote for names for surface features in the Pluto system. Caleuche was included in the voting on 21 March 2015.[4] It did not make to the initial proposal, sent to the IAU by the New Horizons team on 7 July 2015[5] but was included later.
Geology
Caleuche Chasma is the deepest known feature on Charon, with a maximum depth of approximately 13 kilometers—over 2% of Charon's mean radius of 606 kilometers.[2][6][7] Caleuche Chasma is roughly a Y-shaped depression, bordering Neverland Regio and located in the highly tectonized highlands of Oz Terra. Partially separating Caleuche Chasma from Neverland Regio is a large curvilinear ridge; this ridge appears to act as a barrier against the dark material found in the "core" regions of Neverland Regio, as the floor of Caleuche Chasma does not appear to be as dark.[2]
See also
- List of geological features on Charon
References
- ↑ "Caleuche Chasma". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Schenk, Paul Michael; Beyer, Ross A.; McKinnon, William B.; Moore, Jeffrey M.; Spencer, John R.; White, Oliver L.; Singer, Kelsi; Umurhan, Orkan M. et al. (2018). "Breaking up is hard to do: Global cartography and topography of Pluto's mid-sized icy Moon Charon from New Horizons". Icarus 315: 124–145. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2018.06.010. ISSN 0019-1035. Bibcode: 2018Icar..315..124S.
- ↑ "International Astronomical Union". 2018-04-11. https://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau1803/.
- ↑ "fictional-vessels - pluto". 2015-04-23. http://www.ourpluto.org/discuss/fictional-vessels.
- ↑ "Charon Theme 3 - pluto-update". 2017-09-15. http://www.ourpluto.org/charon-theme-3.
- ↑ Stern, S.A.; Grundy, W.; McKinnon, W.B.; Weaver, H.A.; Young, L.A. (December 15, 2017). "The Pluto System After New Horizons". Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 56: 357–392. doi:10.1146/annurev-astro-081817-051935. Bibcode: 2018ARA&A..56..357S.
- ↑ Stern, S.A.; Bagenal, F.; Ennico, K.; Gladstone, G.R.; Grundy, W.M.; McKinnon, W.B.; Moore, J.M.; Olkin, C.B. et al. (October 16, 2015). "The Pluto system: Initial results from its exploration by New Horizons". Science 350 (6258). doi:10.1126/science.aad1815. PMID 26472913. Bibcode: 2015Sci...350.1815S.
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