Butler Mons

Charon

Butler Mons is a mountain located on Pluto's moon Charon, on the side that faces Pluto.

Description

Butler Mons is a solitary massif with an estimated peak of 4.5 kilometres (4,500 m) and length of 91 kilometres (57 mi).

The largest observed mountain on Charon, it rises out of a geological moat in the smooth plain known as Vulcan Planitia. It shares orographical similarities with Kubrick Mons, located on the same plain.

Discovery

On July 14, 2015, as part of its New Frontiers program, NASA conducted a flyby of Charon using the space probe New Horizons. Butler Mons was one of several unexpected features observed on Charon's surface, alongside canyons and landslides.

Name

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. For Charon, entrants were asked to submit names that matched the theme of authors and artists "associated with space exploration". Butler Mons was subsequently named for the American science fiction author Octavia E. Butler.

References

  1. ↑ "Charon – Butler Mons". USGS Astrogeology Science Center. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
  2. ↑ Beyer, Ross A.; et al. (2020). "The far side of Charon". 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (PDF).
  3. 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.
  4. ↑ 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
  5. 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.
  6. 1 2 Talbert, Trisha (October 1, 2015). "Pluto's Big Moon Charon Reveals a Colorful and Violent History". NASA. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
  7. 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.
  8. ↑ 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.