Academia, Science

HAIL PLUTO

2ACFF8E300000578-3173744-Four_images_from_New_Horizons_Long_Range_Reconnaissance_Imager_L-m-7_1437761526042New Horizons made its farewell pass of Pluto and left us with incredible pictures of the dwarf planet to analyze and discuss for years. It has been an incredible experience for all of humanity to see the most distant planet, even if it has been downgraded to dwarf planet.


The pictures have shown surprising geologic activity and Pluto, which was generally considered a bid dead icy rock. Moreover
NASA today also released an image of exotic ice across the dwarf planet’s surface, revealing signs of recent geologic activity – something scientists hoped to find but didn’t expect. Pluto’s heart-shaped region, known as Tombaugh Regio, appears to have flows like glaciers on Earth.

Moreover, the farewell image below showed atmospheric rings taken from around 1.25 million miles (2 million km) from Pluto. The planet has a reddish hue from the hazes detected by the probe — formed when ultraviolet sunlight breaks apart methane gas in the atmosphere. That means that there is also more complex hydrocarbon gases, such as ethylene and acetylene, which in turn cold and form ice particles and hazes. The ultraviolent sunlight chemically converts hazes into tholins, the dark hydrocarbons that color Pluto’s surface. Sputnik Planum is believed to be full of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane ices.

We will be getting new pictures on a weekly basis but for now we can only say Hail Pluto and Bon Voyage New Horizons.

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17 thoughts on “HAIL PLUTO”

  1. Please insert the word “later” after “condensed” in my comment. I forgot it. Sorry!

  2. Even at the low surface temperatures the ices on the surface of Pluto cannot be original, that is to say have an age of more than 4 billion years. These are constantly depleted by evaporation, gravitational escape from a low-mass body, and solar-wind driven escape. The current surface ices were condensed either from an internal or an external source. One of the most basic scientific issues is the deuterium to hydrogen ratio of these ices. Unless society decides to stop all exploration of our solar system that measurement ought to be done in the future. The instrumentation is available and is relatively simple. The big problem is to get it there. If one also wants C12/C13 measurements the study gets more complicated and expensive.

  3. “keep the masses ignorant of the important stuff” That’s your job, spreading ignorance about GMOs, vaccines, “organic” food, fluoride, and so forth. But, hey, making a living off the ignorant and naive is better than a real job, right?

  4. John Wooden was a lover of poetry and a poet. He would love Squeek’s poem. I think there are a few of Squeek’s diddies he would have some issues.

  5. From this article: “The ultraviolent sunlight . . . ” ? Does this insinuate that the sunlight we see here on Earth is docile and calm, unlike that which the outer planets encounter?

    Another question: “. . . incredible pictures of the dwarf planet . . .” ? Shouldn’t people be encouraging writers in the media and scientists to use the term “little planet” instead? “Dwarf” is such an offensive word that it is no longer considered publicly acceptable, right? People need to be careful about their terminology today.

  6. Pingback: An Ode To Pluto! | Pansies For Plato

  10. I consider NASA one of the most worthless military organizations in operation today. Everything they publicize are packed with lies to keep the masses ignorant of the important stuff.

  12. Oh, my Inner Poet is moved to write an Ode!

    An Ode to Pluto!
    A Laudatory Ode by Squeeky Fromm

    From deeps, ensconced in Kuiper Belt,
    Where ne’er the warmth of Sun is felt,
    Where only photons, few and weak,
    Through nitrogenous clouds do seek,

    To fall upon the barren scape,
    And icy plains by glaciers scraped;
    Hence, the thin emaciated light,
    Reveals to all the wondrous sight!

    Mountains high, the ice savanna,
    Reddish plains; methannic manna,
    Exudes from deep ‘neath icy sod,
    Revealing there, the Hand of God.

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

  13. Youi forgot Uranus! How can you forget such an important part of our solar system?

  14. This makes me want to get into the intergalactic real estate business. Bigger is better.

  16. I know that money is wasted on wars in Afghanistan and other places. As an alien from Planet Remulak I can say that the photo here is somewhat accurate but that the ability of humans to travel is light years away. My pledge is not to bring photos of outer space here to Earth and I cannot share any.

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