Feature type | Impact crater |
---|---|
Location | Charon |
Coordinates | 55°N 15°W / 55°N 15°W[1] |
Discoverer | New Horizons |
Naming | Unofficial |
Eponym | Darth Vader |
Vader is the unofficial name given to a dark crater on Pluto's largest moon Charon. The floor of Vader is darker than the surrounding terrain, covered in the same reddish-brown dark material that covers Mordor Macula on Charon's north pole. Though Charon's surface trends darker with increasing latitude, some craters, such as Vader, interrupt this trend.[2] The crater was discovered by NASA's New Horizons space probe on its way by Pluto. It is named after the character Darth Vader from the Star Wars media franchise; the name has yet to be officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).[3]