Space
Second Mountain Range Erupts from the Heart of Pluto, New Image Reveals
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Jul 23, 2015 08:25 AM EDT
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is speeding away from Pluto toward the Kuiper belt, but researchers are finding out more and more information about the icy dwarf planet as new data is beamed back to Earth. Now, researchers have found that there's a hidden mountain range within the heart-shaped region on its surface.
The newly discovered frozen peaks are estimated to be just one-half mile to one mile high, which is about the same height as the United States' Appalachian Mountains. In contrast, the Norgay Montes, which are located near the southwestern margin of Pluto's Tombaugh Region, more closely approximate the height of the taller Rocky Mountains.
The new image doesn't just reveal the mountains, though; it also illustrates the remarkably well-defined topography along the western edge of the Tombaugh Region.
"There is a pronounced difference in texture between the younger, frozen plains to the east and the dark, heavily-cratered terrain to the west," said Jeff Moore, leader of the New Horizons Geology, Geophysics and Imaging team, in a news release. "There's a complex interaction going on between the bright and the dark materials that we're still trying to understand."
The findings reveal a bit more about Pluto and show that it has a diverse and interesting terrain. As more images are beamed back to Earth, scientists will be able to learn even more about the tiny planet going forward. This, in turn, may help them better understand how our solar system formed in the first place.
For more information on the New Horizons mission, visit NASA's website.
Related Stories
Pluto's Heart Has Icy, Frozen Plains and Troughs, NASA New Horizons Reveals
Pluto's Largest Moon, Charon, Has Startling Details on Its Surface (IMAGE)
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: Jul 23, 2015 08:25 AM EDT
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is speeding away from Pluto toward the Kuiper belt, but researchers are finding out more and more information about the icy dwarf planet as new data is beamed back to Earth. Now, researchers have found that there's a hidden mountain range within the heart-shaped region on its surface.
The newly discovered frozen peaks are estimated to be just one-half mile to one mile high, which is about the same height as the United States' Appalachian Mountains. In contrast, the Norgay Montes, which are located near the southwestern margin of Pluto's Tombaugh Region, more closely approximate the height of the taller Rocky Mountains.
The new image doesn't just reveal the mountains, though; it also illustrates the remarkably well-defined topography along the western edge of the Tombaugh Region.
"There is a pronounced difference in texture between the younger, frozen plains to the east and the dark, heavily-cratered terrain to the west," said Jeff Moore, leader of the New Horizons Geology, Geophysics and Imaging team, in a news release. "There's a complex interaction going on between the bright and the dark materials that we're still trying to understand."
The findings reveal a bit more about Pluto and show that it has a diverse and interesting terrain. As more images are beamed back to Earth, scientists will be able to learn even more about the tiny planet going forward. This, in turn, may help them better understand how our solar system formed in the first place.
For more information on the New Horizons mission, visit NASA's website.
Related Stories
Pluto's Heart Has Icy, Frozen Plains and Troughs, NASA New Horizons Reveals
Pluto's Largest Moon, Charon, Has Startling Details on Its Surface (IMAGE)
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone