Space
Strange Woodworm-like Holes Pit the Surface of Pluto in New Images
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Oct 19, 2015 03:44 PM EDT
It turns out that the tiny, icy dwarf planet Pluto has even more surprises in store for NASA scientists. Researchers have found that Pluto has strange, woodworm-like pits across its surface.
New Horizons has been beaming back information and images about and of Pluto to Earth ever since its historic flyby. This information has shown prominent, heart-shaped features, icy mountains, and "snakeskin" terrain, which tells researchers that Pluto's geology is far more complex than previously thought.
Now, researchers have spotted an enigmatic cellular pattern as well as unusual clusters of small pits and troughs within Pluto's heart feature.
The area, informally known as Sputnik Planum, is composed of volatile ices such as solid nitrogen. It's possible that the pits and troughs, typically hundreds of meters across and tens of meters deep, are formed by sublimation or evaporation of these ices. However, the reason for these striking shapes and alignments of these features are a mystery.
"Pluto is weird, in a good way," said Hal Weaver, New Horizons project scientist, in a news release. "The pits, and the way they're aligned, provide clues about the ice flow and the exchange of volatiles between the surface and atmosphere, and the science team is working hard to understand what physical processes are at play here."
The newest images reveal a bit more about the dwarf planet. However, researchers are still anticipating more information and more pictures from New Horizons as it continues onward toward the Kuiper Belt.
For more information about the New Horizons mission, visit NASA's website.
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First Posted: Oct 19, 2015 03:44 PM EDT
It turns out that the tiny, icy dwarf planet Pluto has even more surprises in store for NASA scientists. Researchers have found that Pluto has strange, woodworm-like pits across its surface.
New Horizons has been beaming back information and images about and of Pluto to Earth ever since its historic flyby. This information has shown prominent, heart-shaped features, icy mountains, and "snakeskin" terrain, which tells researchers that Pluto's geology is far more complex than previously thought.
Now, researchers have spotted an enigmatic cellular pattern as well as unusual clusters of small pits and troughs within Pluto's heart feature.
The area, informally known as Sputnik Planum, is composed of volatile ices such as solid nitrogen. It's possible that the pits and troughs, typically hundreds of meters across and tens of meters deep, are formed by sublimation or evaporation of these ices. However, the reason for these striking shapes and alignments of these features are a mystery.
"Pluto is weird, in a good way," said Hal Weaver, New Horizons project scientist, in a news release. "The pits, and the way they're aligned, provide clues about the ice flow and the exchange of volatiles between the surface and atmosphere, and the science team is working hard to understand what physical processes are at play here."
The newest images reveal a bit more about the dwarf planet. However, researchers are still anticipating more information and more pictures from New Horizons as it continues onward toward the Kuiper Belt.
For more information about the New Horizons mission, visit NASA's website.
Related Stories
Pluto Stuns Scientists with Startling Complex with New Horizons Data
NASA Cassini Spacecraft Zooms in on Saturn's Moon Enceladus Today (VIDEO)
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone