Wright Mons

Wright Mons
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New Horizons image of Wright Mons, its central caldera-like feature, and the surrounding hummocky terrain of Hyecho Palus
Feature typeMountain, cryovolcano
LocationHyecho Palus, Tombaugh Regio, Pluto
Coordinates21°22′S 173°14′E / 21.36°S 173.24°E / -21.36; 173.24[1]
Diameter~150 km (93.2 mi)[2]
Peak4.7 ± 1 km (2.9 ± 0.62 mi) (base to crest)[3]
DiscovererNew Horizons
EponymWright brothers

Wright Mons is a large, roughly circular mountain and likely cryovolcano[4] on the dwarf planet Pluto. Discovered by the New Horizons spacecraft in 2015, it is located southwest of Sputnik Planitia within Hyecho Palus, adjacent to the Tenzing Montes and Belton Regio. A relatively young geological feature, Wright Mons has attracted attention as one of the most apparent examples of recent geological activity on Pluto and borders numerous other similarly young features. Numerous semi-regular hills surround and partially construct the flanks of Wright Mons. Their nature remains unexplained, with few, if any, direct analogs elsewhere in the Solar System.[3]: 431 

  1. ^ "Wright Mons". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. (Center Latitude: -21.36°, Center Longitude: 173.24°; Planetocentric, +East)
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference White2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Schenk2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference SingerNat2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).