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Colburn Earth Science Museum 2015
Pluto, We Missed You!
Pluto’s center, collecting over 50 gigabits of
data during the approach.
(written by Cory Van Auken)
While the enormous amount of data is still
being processed (only 20% has been
downloaded), the initial analysis has been quite
a surprise! Evidence of mountains, ice flows,
and regions devoid of craters suggest the
existence of tectonic activity on Pluto!
(Photo taken by New Horizons Spacecraft)
In 2006, Pluto was stripped of its planetary title
and demoted to the title of “Dwarf Planet”.
Astronomers, and Physicists alike, had good
reason to revoke Pluto of its title. However, this
hardly comforted certain school children and
Pluto mega-fans.
This small ice-world has always been cloaked in
mystery. It is dense and covered in ice like the
inner rocky planets, but located near the gas
giants. Its orbit is erratic and it’s smaller than
the 8 planets in our solar system. Unlike the
planets in our solar system, Pluto does not orbit
along the same orbital plane. Tilted at 17
degrees, Pluto orbits on a more elliptical path
than the 8 planets. Additionally, it crosses
another planet’s orbit (Neptune), something no
other planet does. For these afore mentioned
reasons, Pluto presented somewhat of a
planetary anomaly and is thus deemed a “dwarf
planet”.
However, for those who harbored deep
frustration on Pluto’s behalf, there is some
sweet relief. Pluto has become the rock star of
our solar system! The New Horizon Spacecraft
recently completed a close approach of the
Pluto system at a distance of 13,691 km from
While some moons of gaseous planets possess
tectonic activity, these are a product of the
incredibly strong tidal forces. Take Io for
example, one of Jupiter’s Galilean moons. Io is
thought to have the solar system’s most active
geology. Jupiter exerts a giant tidal force as Io
orbits around it. With each rotation, Io is pulled
upwards and downwards hundreds of meters,
resulting in a heating of its interior, volcanism,
and the existence of tectonics.
However, because Pluto is far away from any
object of considerable mass, another
explanation for its tectonic activity is needed.
Scientists believe the source of Pluto’s tectonics
is likely a heat source from within! Could there
be a molten core?
(Photo taken by New Horizons Spacecraft)
Evidence suggests Pluto possesses a thick
water-ice crust, glacial flow, and even an
atmosphere! Huge mountains of water ice rise
into the air as frozen methane and nitrogen
blanket the surface. The image above shows
Colburn Earth Science Museum 2015
Pluto backlight by the sun. A visible haze
surrounding Pluto rises 80km above the surface,
evidence of a definite atmosphere. Methane
and nitrogen interact with UV-radiation from
the sun and break down to create more
complex hydrocarbons like ethylene and
acetylene. The red streaks of ice on the surface
are thought to be these complex hydrocarbons,
which condense into dark red ice crystals on the
surface. Within the atmosphere there appears
to be the movement of ice, back and forth
across hemispheres depending on the season. It
is even believed that it snows on Pluto!
These new findings shed light and present new
evidence to the complexity of Pluto. Pluto is the
largest body in a region of our solar system
called the Kuiper belt. Similar to the asteroid
belt (but much larger), this region is a
circumstellar disc with remnants of solar system
formation extending from Neptune to about 50
AU (~ 7,480,000,000 km.) from the sun. As the
New Horizon Spacecraft continues its journey
past Pluto into the unexplored, new light may
be shed as more discoveries await! For now
let’s rejoice as Pluto is thrust into the spotlight,
and its mysteries are slowly uncovered.
Further Reading:
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/yearreview-pluto-unveiled-world-no-other
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-plutoimages-from-nasa-s-new-horizons-it-scomplicated