New data obtained by the US spacecraft New Horizons and published in the journal Science show that surface Pluto is diverse It contains mountains, glaciers and a misty atmosphere and has a wide variety of colors.
The color image obtained published in Science and the Chamber of Visible Multi-Spectral Image (MVIC) of the ship reveals multitude of colors on the surface of the dwarf planet from dark red areas in Ecuador to more clear and blue areas in higher latitudes.
In addition, the data demonstrate the presence of mountains, glaciers and a misty atmosphere that stretches for almost 200 kilometers above the surface.
“We knew that Pluto’s surface was heterogeneous based on data obtained in the field. But I was surprised to see a spectacular color and surface geological diversity, “said Silvia Protopapa astronomer, a researcher at the University of Maryland and part of the New Horizons team.
The New Horizons mission of NASA Pluto flew last July 14 and since then is sending data and images of the dwarf planet to Earth.
The new data published Pluto put the radio in 1,187 kilometers (smaller than Earth’s Moon) and show that the hallmark heart shaped this celestial body comes in its southern hemisphere is a glacier ice formed by carbon monoxide .
New Horizons blasted off from Cape Canaveral (USA) in January 2006, and until last July 14 failed to approach the surface of the dwarf planet after nearly 5,000 million kilometers cruise.
These new data will help the scientific community to understand the origins and history of Pluto and its moons.
Source: EFE
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