Pluto is a different world and “fascinating” – Daily Online

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UPDATED: 10/16/2015 – 9:01

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) – Pluto is a “fascinating” world with a variety of landforms as smooth plains, mountains and frozen razor sharp ridges, indicated in the first research paper derived from an approach to dwarf planet in July published today in the journal Science.

The spacecraft New Horizons of the US space agency, NASA, came to settle in 12,500 kilometers from the surface of Pluto during its closest approach occurred on July 14 and collected so much data that require about a year to reach the Earth.

Color images sent to the time reveal a wide range of colors on the surface of Pluto, from the dark and red regions in Ecuador until brightest and blue areas in higher latitudes.

A heart-shaped region disrupts this pattern unfolding different colors in the western and eastern lobes. Scientists suspect the sleek western lobe contains methane ice and carbon monoxide ice and dark red equatorial regions contain very little volatile ice.

“We knew that Pluto’s surface was heterogeneous by data based on Earth, “astronomer at the University of Maryland, Silvia Protopapa, who helped define the composition of the surface of Pluto and its ice locate said in a statement.

” But month surprised to see the spectacular color of its surface and its geological diversity, “he said.

The data sent also show a surprisingly wide variety of landforms on Pluto, including sharp ridges of hundreds of meters high that form wavy and scaly patterns.

Another surprising finding is that a group of mountains at the end of the smoothest part of the heart of Pluto could be done icebergs, pieces of water ice crust floating on a frozen nitrogen plunge pool.

The smooth part of the heart of Pluto, called Sputnik Planum, is also of interest. The scientists say the absence of impact craters in the region indicate that the surface has at most 100 million years.

The document also notes that the radius of dwarf planet, of 1,187 kilometers, is less than previous measurements, which makes Pluto density is higher and that is closer to that of its largest moon, Charon.

The study also found evidence of a rich crust of water ice, multiple layers of haze on the surface in the atmosphere of Pluto and Pluto is a little richer in ice than expected.

“The Pluto system surprised us in many ways. Especially taught us that small planets may remain active for billions of years after its formation, “said mission principal investigator Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute.

” He also taught us important lessons through the degree of geological complexity “that shows Pluto, Stern said

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