List of geological features on Pluto

This is a list of named geological features on Pluto, identified by scientists working with data from the New Horizons spacecraft. The International Astronomical Union officially approved the first 14 names on 8 August 2017, with additional names following in each subsequent year, but many of the names listed on this page are still informal. The IAU has determined that names will be chosen from the following themes:

Names for the underworld from the world's mythologies
Gods, goddesses, and dwarfs associated with the underworld
Heroes and other explorers of the underworld
Writers associated with Pluto and the Kuiper belt
Pioneering space missions and spacecraft
Scientists and engineers associated with Pluto and the Kuiper belt
Cavi

A cavus is a hollow or steep-sided depression. Plutonian cavi are named after underworlds from fiction and mythology. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Approval
Adlivun Cavus	Underworld in Inuit mythology	8 Aug 2017
Baralku Cavi	Baralku, the island of the dead in Yolngu culture	—
Hekla Cavus	An Icelandic volcano believed to be the entrance to Hell in medieval European times	30 May 2018

Colles

A collis is a low hill. Plutonian colles are named after spacecraft that operated in Earth orbit. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Approval
Astrid Colles	The Astrid program, Sweden's first satellites, in turn named after Astrid Lindgren	—
Challenger Colles	Honors the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger	7 May 2022
Coleta de Dados Colles	Satélite de Coleta de Dados, first Brazilian satellite	—
Columbia Colles	Honors the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia	7 May 2022
Soyuz Colles	The Soyuz program; honors the loss of Soyuz 11	—

Craters

Plutonian craters are named after scientists and other people associated with the study of Pluto. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Approval
Bower	Ernest Clare Bower, American astronomer who calculated one of the first orbits of Pluto	11 Sep 2024
Brinton	Henry Brinton, NASA administrator instrumental in Pluto studies	—
Burney	Venetia Burney, who proposed the name of Pluto	8 Aug 2017
Coradini	Angioletta Coradini, Italian planetary scientist	27 May 2022
Coughlin	Thomas Boyd Coughlin, American mechanical and space engineer, first project manager of the New Horizons mission	3 Jan 2020
Edgeworth	Kenneth Edgeworth, Irish astronomer who posited the Kuiper Belt	3 Feb 2021
Elliot	James L. Elliot, discoverer of Pluto's atmosphere	8 Aug 2017
Farinella	Paolo Farinella, Italian astronomer	11 Sep 2024
Gibson	William C. Gibson, Original Science Payload Manager for the New Horizons mission	8 Jan 2025
Giclas	Henry L. Giclas, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory	8 Jan 2025
Guest	John Guest, British volcanologist and planetary scientist	—
H. Smith	Harlan Smith, astronomer and director of McDonald Observatory	—
Hardaway	Lisa Hardaway, American aerospace engineer and program manager for the RALPH telescope on New Horizons	5 Aug 2020
Hardie	Robert H. Hardie, American astronomer, co-discoverer of Pluto's 6.4-day rotation period	3 Jan 2020
Hollis	Andrew Hollis, British astronomer	Not Approved
Isakowitz	Matthew Isakowitz, Aerospace engineer who significantly contributed to commercial spaceflight, and was an intern working for the New Horizons mission	—
Khare	Bishun Khare, Indian-American chemist specialized in planetary atmospheres, studied tholins extensively	30 May 2019
Kiladze	Rolan Kiladze, Georgian astronomer who investigated the dynamics, astrometry, and photometry of Pluto	30 May 2019
Kowal	Charles T. Kowal, American astronomer who discovered the first centaur	7 May 2020
Oort	Jan Oort, Dutch astronomer who posited the Oort Cloud	3 Feb 2021
Owen	Tobias Owen, whose pioneering work on the origin and composition of planetary atmospheres and comets was revolutionary, along with playing a critical role in several NASA and ESA missions, such as Viking, Voyager, Galileo, Rosetta, Cassini-Huygens, and Juno. Owen was also the chairperson of the Task Group for Outer Solar System Nomenclature.	—
Pulfrich	Carl Pulfrich, German physicist who developed the blink-comparator used to discover Pluto	5 Aug 2020
Simonelli	Damon Simonelli, American astronomer and Pluto geologist	30 May 2019
Zagar	Damon Francesco, Italian astronomer who carried out early studies of the orbit of Pluto	5 Aug 2020

Dorsa

A dorsum is a ridge. Plutonian dorsa are named after underworlds in mythology. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Approval
Pandemonium Dorsa	Pandæmonium, the capital of Hell in the poems of John Milton	—
Tartarus Dorsa	Tartarus, the pit of hell in Greek mythology	8 Aug 2017

Faculae

A facula is a bright spot on the surface of a planet. Plutonian faculae are named after underworld creatures from mythology. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Approval
Supay Facula	Supay, spirit who lived in the underworld in Quechua, Aymara, and Incan mythologies	—

Fluctūs

A fluctus is a terrain covered by outflow of liquid. Plutonian fluctūs are named after travellers to the underworld. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Approval
Dionysus Fluctus	The god Dionysus from Greek mythology, who travels to Hades to bring the playwright Euripides back	—
Mpobe Fluctus	Mpobe from Baganda mythology, a hero who willingly enters the underground world	—
Pere Porter Fluctus	is the character of a 16th-17th century moral novel who travels to hell	—
Xanthias Fluctus	Xanthias from Greek mythology, the slave who joins Dionysus on his travel to the underworld	—

Fossae

A fossa is a ditch-like feature. Plutonian fossae are named after figures associated with underworld myths. The following is a list of official and unofficial names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Approval
Beatrice Fossa	Beatrice, visits hell and asks Virgil to guide Dante in Dante's Inferno	3 Feb 2021
Djanggawul Fossae	Djanggawul, Yolngu creation figures from the Island of the Dead	8 Aug 2017
Dumuzi Fossa	Dumuzi, Sumerian fertility god who replaced his wife Inanna in the underworld	3 Feb 2021
Hermod Fossae	Hermod, son of Odin, who rode the horse Sleipnir into the underworld to retrieve his brother Balder	25 Sep 2019
Inanna Fossa	Inanna, Sumerian goddess who descended to the underworld	3 Feb 2021
Kaknú Fossa	Kaknú, legendary Ohlone hero who travelled to the underworld to battle Wiwe. He resembled a peregrine falcon.	12 Aug 2019
Mwindo Fossae	Mwindo, legendary Nyanga hero who travelled to the underworld	30 May 2019
Sleipnir Fossa	Sleipnir, the steed Odin rides to the underworld	8 Aug 2017
Sun Wukong Fossa	Sun Wukong, the Chinese Monkey King who went to Hell	—
Uncama Fossa	Uncama, Zulu tale hero who followed a porcupine underground and came upon the village of dead souls	3 Jan 2020
Virgil Fossae	Virgil, Dante's guide through Hell and Purgatory in The Divine Comedy	8 Aug 2017

Labyrinthi

A labyrinthus is a complex of intersecting valleys or ridges. Plutonian labyrinthi are named after gods of the underworld. The following is a list of names chosen by the New Horizons team. Names that have been officially approved are labeled as such.

Feature	Named after	Approval
Xolotl Labyrinthus	Xolotl, god of fire, lightning, and death in Aztec mythology	—