Kirk (crater) explained

Kirk
Coordinates:	-5°N 2°W
Coordinates Footnotes:	^[1]
Location:	Charon
Type:	Impact crater
Discoverer:	New Horizons
Eponym:	James T. Kirk

Kirk is the unofficial name given to a small crater on Pluto's largest moon Charon. The crater was discovered by the New Horizons space probe in 2015 during its flyby of Pluto and its moons. It was named after the character James T. Kirk from the media franchise Star Trek. The crater is located in the southern hemisphere, just south of the equator, and just east of the prime meridian, near Clarke Montes, in a region that astronomers have named Vulcan Planitia.^[2]

The floor of Kirk Crater is covered with small mounds or hummocks, which may be due to cryovolcanic activity erupting viscous material. Alternatively, the mounds may have originated from landslides.^[3]

See also

• List of geological features on Charon

Notes and References

1. Web site: USGS Astrogeology Science Center . astrogeology.usgs.gov . 7 April 2020.
2. Web site: Wall . Mike . Vader Crater, Kirk & Spock! 'Star Wars,' 'Star Trek' Collide on Pluto Moon . Space.com . 7 April 2020 . en . August 3, 2015.
3. Singer. K. N. . 1902.10795 . Impact craters on Pluto and Charon indicate a deficit of small Kuiper belt objects . Science . 16 Nov 2019 . 363 . 6430 . 955–959 . 10.1126/science.aap8628 . 30819958 . 2019Sci...363..955S . 67876906 .