Topic: Space
A new study suggests that liquid nitrogen is rising to Pluto's surface through cracks in its massive heart-shaped glacier. This is the first evidence of recent liquid flow on Pluto. The study used data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft and computer models.
A team of scientists led by Dr. Alan Stern, Associate Vice President at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), has found evidence that liquid nitrogen is flowing on Pluto's surface. This discovery was made using data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft and computer models. The team analyzed images taken by the New Horizons spacecraft in 2015 and 2016 of Sputnik Planitia, a vast frozen nitrogen glacier on Pluto.
The researchers compared these images with those taken by NASA Landsat 9 of locations on Earth where liquid water occurs on ice and snow. They found that the patterns on Pluto's surface are similar to those seen on Earth, suggesting that subsurface liquid nitrogen is rising and wetting Pluto's nitrogen ice.
This discovery is significant because it suggests that liquids have recently expressed themselves on Pluto's surface. It also indicates a new kind of time-variable feature on Pluto. The team believes that the surface patterns on northern Sputnik Planitia have been darkened in ways that resemble glacial features on Earth that have been wetted by rainwater or the subsurface emergence of liquids.
The study was published in the Planetary Science Journal and provides the first evidence of recent liquid flows to Pluto's surface. Earlier research suggested ancient liquid flows, but this new work suggests there is currently or recently liquid nitrogen beneath the glacier's surface.
Why It Matters
This discovery helps us understand how materials behave in extreme environments, which can help us better understand our own planet and its climate. It also shows that Pluto, a dwarf planet, has unique features that are different from those on Earth.
Key Facts
- A team of scientists led by Dr. Alan Stern found evidence of liquid nitrogen flowing on Pluto's surface using data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft and computer models.
- The discovery was made analyzing images taken by the New Horizons spacecraft in 2015 and 2016 of Sputnik Planitia, a vast frozen nitrogen glacier on Pluto.
- The team compared these images with those taken by NASA Landsat 9 of locations on Earth where liquid water occurs on ice and snow.
- This discovery suggests that liquids have recently expressed themselves on Pluto's surface and indicates a new kind of time-variable feature on Pluto.
- The study was published in the Planetary Science Journal and provides the first evidence of recent liquid flows to Pluto's surface.
Key Terms
- Liquid Nitrogen
- A liquid form of nitrogen, a chemical element that is very cold.
- Subsurface Liquid
- Liquid that exists beneath the surface of a planet or moon.
Implications
This discovery helps us understand how materials behave in extreme environments, which can help us better understand our own planet and its climate. It also shows that Pluto, a dwarf planet, has unique features that are different from those on Earth.
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