 Enhanced color view of Safronov Regio's western border withSputnik Planitia | |
| Location | Pluto |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 13°22′S150°31′W / 13.36°S 150.51°W /-13.36; -150.51[1] |
| Diameter | ~740 km (460 mi)[1] |
| Discoverer | New Horizons |
| Eponym | Viktor Safronov |
Safronov Regio (formerlyKrun Macula) is the westernmost of the "Brass Knuckles", a series of equatorial dark regions onPluto.
Safronov Regio was first observed as theNew Horizons spacecraft approachedPluto and itssystem of moons. As Pluto rotated, a series of equatorial dark regions were observed and informally nicknamed theBrass Knuckles,[2] with Safronov Regio being the westermost of the dark regions. It was initially informally namedKrun Macula afterKrun, the greatest of the fiveMandaean lords of theunderworld.[3][4] However, theInternational Astronomical Union (IAU) instead officially approved the nameSafronov Regio in honor of Russian astronomerViktor Safronov, an early proponent of the planetesimal hypothesis for Solar System formation. The name was approved on 22 September 2023.[1]
Safronov Regio is the third largest equatorial dark region on Pluto, afterBelton Regio andHarrington Regio. It extends nearly to 180 degrees longitude, the Plutonian longitude opposite Charon.
Krun Macula is the name of the ship of the character Pluto inHeaven Will Be Mine, a 2018 visual novel.[5]
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