We ’ve had a constant stream of trade name newinformationabout Pluto in the retiring few weeks , and fortunately for Pluto enthusiast everywhere , there is plenty more to come . The revelations go on with the icy knit stitch of Pluto and its atmosphere , which we can only see when looking back at the dwarf planet towards the Sun .
Pluto is cover in a fascinating regalia of geologic features , and some of them show that Pluto might have ( or may have had ) geologically active features on its surface . image show that a sheet of N ice flowed along the open , and might still be flow . Even though the frappe is made of nitrogen , not weewee , it bears similarity to glacier trend on Earth .
“ We ’ve only see surfaces like this on active universe like Earth and Mars,”saidJohn Spencerfrom theSouthwest Research Institute(SwRI ) . “ I ’m really smile . ”
“ At Pluto ’s temperatures of -390 ° F ( -235 ° C ) , these ices can course like a glacier,”saidBill McKinnonofWashington University in St. Louis . “ In the southernmost part of the heart , adjacent to the dour equatorial area , it appears that ancient , heavily - cratered terrain has been invade by much newer icy deposit . "
You might have thought that the fun was all over once New Horizons passed behind Pluto , but there ’s still a host of exciting find to ponder over . From the back , Pluto is all dark , most undistinguishable from the black of blank space . However , the Sun impressively elucidate a gorgeous haze around the satellite – like a calcareous daub .
Scientists can see two disjoined stratum of accelerator pedal around Pluto : one at around50 kilometers(30 miles ) out and the other at around 80 klick ( 50 mile ) . In fact , the distance that the atmosphere extendssurprisedsome scientists . The haze incorporate hydrocarbons , which are responsible for the gnome major planet ’s reddish hue .
Ghostly haze around Pluto . NASA .
Methane particle are have it away to exist in the standard pressure of Pluto . It is postulated that the Sun ’s UV rays take these methane particles and break them up . This give them the opportunity to reform as more complex hydrocarbon molecules . The heavier speck sink towards the surface of Pluto , where it is colder , and condense into ice particles .
This observation means scientists will have to return to the drawing board to reckon out what is pop off on in the atmosphere . They originally involve that the temperature more than 30 klick ( 20 mi ) above Pluto ’s surface would be too tender for fog to form .
“ My jaw was on the ground when I saw this first mental image of an exotic ambiance in the Kuiper Belt,”saidAlan Stern , principal investigator for New Horizons from the SwRI . “ It prompt us that exploration brings us more than just incredible discoveries – it add unbelievable lulu . ”
