"Pluto Is Turning Into The Planet Of Your Nightmares"
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 5:38 pm
Unofficial so far, but scientists have given the features of Pluto, now seen in detail for the first time, some very interesting names:
Pluto Is Turning Into The Planet Of Your Nightmares
Mordor (from Lord of the Rings) is now the unofficial name of the dark polar region on Pluto's largest moon, Charon.
At least one well-deserved exception to the nightmarish naming has been made: the large heart-shaped plain on Pluto has been named the Tombaugh Region after the astronomer who discovered Pluto in 1930.
Pluto Is Turning Into The Planet Of Your Nightmares
What, no Voldemort?One of the dark regions near Pluto's south pole, initially called "The Whale" when first spotted from a more distant photo, has now been dubbed Cthulhu, one of the terrible "Great Old Ones" from the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. Cthulhu lurks under the sea in the sunken city of R'lyeh.
Other features have been named for Meng-p'o, the Buddhist goddess of forgetfulness and amnesia, and Balrog, a demon from JRR Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" series. Two features, Vucub-Came and Hun-Came, are named for Mayan death gods. There's also Krun, named for a Mandaean lord of the underworld, and Ala, the Ibo ruler of the underworld.
Mordor (from Lord of the Rings) is now the unofficial name of the dark polar region on Pluto's largest moon, Charon.
At least one well-deserved exception to the nightmarish naming has been made: the large heart-shaped plain on Pluto has been named the Tombaugh Region after the astronomer who discovered Pluto in 1930.
