The American space agency NASA regularly shares stunning photographs on its social media channels. Recently, the agency posted a remarkable rainbow-colored image of Pluto on its Instagram account, sparking great interest online. Pluto, a spherical object resembling a planet, is situated at the outer edge of our solar system. The image released by NASA portrays Pluto with an array of vibrant rainbow-like hues across its surface. What do these photos reveal about the dwarf planet? Is Pluto changing its color and temperature? If you’re eager to explore some fascinating facts, this article is for you.
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What is NASA’s view on the posts?
Have you ever wondered where the rainbow ends? Well, it’s definitely not on Pluto, which isn’t exactly a vibrant rainbow of colors. This amazing color image, created by New Horizons scientists, highlights the subtle yet beautiful variations in color across the planet’s surface. It’s truly a mesmerizing sight! It went on to say that Pluto’s surface is “complex and varied, with jumbled mountains reminiscent of Europa, networks of carved-out valleys, old, deeply cratered topography resting right next to new, flat frozen plains, and even what may be wind-blown dunes.”
New Horizons scientists created this translated color image to showcase the subtle color variations among the planet’s different regions,” NASA stated in the post. “Pluto has a complex, varied surface with jumbled mountains reminiscent of Europa, networks of carved-out valleys, old, heavily cratered terrain sitting right next to new, smooth icy plains, and even what might be wind-blown dunes.” The picture was taken by the New Horizons spacecraft launched in 2006. According to NASA, during a six-month flyby in the summer of 2015, the spacecraft studied Pluto and its moons. It is now moving farther into the Kuiper Belt to continue studying the far-off solar system.
In a single day, the post received millions of likes. Users were seen admiring Pluto’s stunning features and the space agency’s choice of color. Despite not meeting the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) three criteria for classifying as a full-sized planet, Pluto’s categorization was downgraded to that of a dwarf planet in 2019.
Contemporary Revelations
Did you know that NASA’s New Horizons mission uncovered ice volcanoes on Pluto? After the spacecraft’s flyby of Pluto and its moons in July 2015, our understanding of this mysterious dwarf planet has completely transformed. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet due to updated planet definitions.
There’s a dwarf planet chilling on the outer fringes of our solar system, far from the sun. It’s the Kuiper Belt’s biggest object, filled with icy celestial bodies. This little globe is anything but boring — it’s got mountains, valleys, glaciers, plains, and craters. Its average temperature is bone-chilling minus 232 degrees Celsius (minus 387 degrees Fahrenheit). If you were brave enough to visit, you’d be treated to some stunning sights: think beautiful skies and, get this, red snow!
Fascinating Discovery
A distinct rough zone on Pluto was discovered through new picture analysis, setting it apart from every other region of the small world and the rest of our cosmic neighborhood. The study findings were published in the journal Nature Communications. Author of the study and senior research scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, Kelsi Singer, said, “We uncovered a field of huge frozen volcanoes that look nothing like anything else we have seen in the solar system.”
In the southern region of the Sputnik Planitia ice sheet lies an ancient impact basin stretching over 1,000 kilometers. This area is characterized by undulating water ice and is adorned with volcanic domes, the most prominent being Piccard Mons and Wright Mons. Wright Mons, standing between 4 and 5 kilometers tall and spanning 150 kilometers in width, is a towering presence, while Piccard Mons soars to 7 kilometers and spans 225 kilometers. For scale, Wright Mons resembles one of Earth’s largest volcanoes, Mauna Loa in Hawaii.
Icy Volcanoes
Did you know that some domes observed in images are believed to come together to form even larger mountains? It’s fascinating to think about what might have given rise to them – Arctic lava. Scientists have also noticed ice volcanoes in other parts of our solar system. These ice volcanoes bring subsurface material to the surface, changing the landscape. When water interacts with Pluto’s subfreezing surface temperatures, it rapidly transforms into ice, creating unique features unlike any volcanoes in the solar system. These mountain-like formations lack a caldera at the top and are covered in large bumps, making them truly intriguing geological wonders.
The common belief that Pluto lacks the internal heating required to fuel volcanism may need to be re-evaluated. Research by Singer and her team suggests the existence of several eruption sites on Pluto, challenging the previous assumption. Surprisingly, the region shows a scarcity of impact craters, indicating recent activity of ice volcanoes and an unexpected level of residual heat within Pluto’s interior. This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of planetary processes, suggesting that Pluto’s internal heat might be greater than previously thought. The ice volcanoes were likely active as recently as 100 to 200 million years ago, displaying a complex history of multiple episodic eruptions. Witnessing an ice volcano erupt on Pluto would be a dramatically different experience due to the planet’s icy surface, where liquid water cannot exist for long.
The massive domes and lumpy terrain in this region were likely formed by material flow in some cases. The New Horizons team had only a day to observe this region and did not spot any active ice volcanoes during the flyby. It’s possible that the ice volcanoes could still erupt, similar to dormant volcanoes on Earth that become active again after a period of dormancy.
Is there life out there?
The discovery of these ice volcanoes on Pluto suggests that the planet may have had an underground ocean. If this is true, liquid water could still be near the planet’s surface. This finding also implies that Pluto’s interior is warmer than previously believed, which raises fascinating questions about the planet’s potential habitability. “There are still a lot of challenges for any organisms trying to survive there,” Singer said. “They would still need some continual nutrients, and if the volcanism is episodic and thus the heat and water availability is variable, that is sometimes tough for organisms.” Pluto’s interesting subsurface would entail the launch of an orbiter to the faraway planet.
Pluto has a “heart” that beats and regulates its climate and atmosphere.
Did you know that although Pluto is cold and distant, it still has a beating heart? A fascinating process occurs in the middle of Pluto’s heart-shaped region called the Tombaugh Regio. Nitrogen ices go through a daily cycle of sublimating from ice to vapor under the midday sun and then condensing back to the surface during the icy night. This rhythmic cycle drives winds up to 20 mph, giving Pluto its unique heartbeat. It’s like the planet has a pulse of its own!
“Pluto’s heart controls its atmosphere circulation,” punned Tanguy Bertrand, a planetary scientist at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. It’s fascinating to learn that ice on Pluto drives winds in the opposite direction of its spin. Using data from New Horizons, Bertrand developed sophisticated weather forecast models that revealed this remarkable phenomenon. Despite Pluto’s extremely thin atmosphere, the westward winds cause unique features such as wind streaks on the western end of Sputnik Planitia and contribute to other desert-like characteristics. This discovery sheds light on the intriguing dynamics of Pluto’s icy heart.
Glaciers have shaven across Pluto’s surface for billions of years.
Did you know Pluto is now home to glaciers that are flowing? These incredible glaciers are found streaming down from mountains into the basin east of Sputnik Planitia, carving out majestic valleys along the way. These glaciers are even more fascinating because the ice is believed to come from seasonal and “mega-seasonal” cycles of nitrogen ice. This nitrogen ice sublimates from solid to vapor, moves across the dwarf planet, and then refreezes on the surface. It’s a remarkable natural phenomenon, and what’s even more incredible is that these glaciers are unlike anything we have here on Earth.
Consider the fascinating dynamics of Pluto’s glaciers. As liquid nitrogen is less dense than solid nitrogen, any melt inside rises to the top of the glacier, creating majestic eruptions and geysers. Furthermore, Pluto’s surface includes water ice, which is less dense than nitrogen ice. Consequently, these water-ice formations can elevate and float like icebergs, shaping the glacier-covered surface of Pluto. Notably, Sputnik Planitia, the largest glacier on Pluto, spans over 620 miles, almost as large as the states of Oklahoma and Texas combined.
The images have revolutionized scientists’ understanding of Pluto. Researchers are scrutinizing the details and uncovering fascinating discoveries. What are your thoughts on the evolving portrayal of Pluto? Feel free to share your opinion below!
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