Hillary Montes


The Hillary Montes are mountains that reach above the surface of the dwarf planet Pluto. They are located northwest of Tenzing Montes in the southwest border area of Sputnik Planitia in the south of Tombaugh Regio. The Hillary Montes were first viewed by the New Horizons spacecraft on 14 July 2015, and announced by NASA on 24 July 2015.

Naming

The mountains are named after Sir Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer, who, along with Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer, Tenzing Norgay, were the first climbers to reach the summit of the highest peak on Earth, Mount Everest, on 29 May 1953. On 7 September 2017, the name Hillary Montes was officially approved together with the names of Tombaugh Regio and twelve other nearby surface features.

Relative size

The Hillary Montes rise to high from base to peak, about half as high as the Tenzing Montes. The Hillary Montes are similar in height to that of the peak of Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, above sea level.

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