Posted on 07/18/2015 10:20:19 PM PDT by LibWhacker
The latest data downloaded from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft suggests that mountains of nitrogen ice thousands of feet high have evaporated into Pluto's atmosphere since the dwarf planet formed 4.5 billion years ago, and hundreds of tons of that gas escape into space each hour.
New images of Pluto meanwhile show land forms that suggest heat is rising beneath the surface, with troughs of dark matter either collecting or bubbling up between flat segments of crust.
Scientists discussed the findings Friday in their second major release of data collected when the $700 million New Horizons mission made a historic pass 7,700 miles from Pluto on Tuesday. Scientists and engineers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel are managing the mission.
They said Pluto continues to surprise and impress them.
"Pluto's becoming a brand that sort of sells itself. You don't really have to work all that hard," said Alan Stern, the New Horizons mission's principal investigator and a scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo. "I think the solar system saved the best for last."
(Excerpt) Read more at baltimoresun.com ...
They have SUVs on Pluto?
It MUST be “climate change,” and much, much worst than we all thought! Pass a law... ban cars.. tax something! Do SOMETHING!”
“Should name it Planet Clinton.. Disintegrating as we watch”
The ice especially applies!
We are stardust.
From the same swirling primordial nebula from which the planetesimals formed which eventually developed into the planets (or, failing that, into dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, etc.) of our Solar System.
Why are you interested in where in particular the nitrogen came from? I mean, if the article had mentioned mountains of, e.g., carbon dioxide ice (instead of frozen nitrogen): Would you have wondered where that carbon dioxide came from?
Regards,
I thought it was the Gamelons. They might get mad if they have to give up their technology and hurl masses of radioactive meteor bombs. Bad idea.
Solar Warming, it is all Bush, Cheney’s and Big Oil’s fault...
"dark matter either collecting or bubbling up"
Now they report this?
I just think it’s interesting that there is so much nitrogen concentrated in one place. Pluto seems to be somewhat similar to Saturn’s moon Titan, only smaller. I read an explaination of how scientists think that Titan formed, but it didn’t make much sense to me.
Also - if something has evaporated, how does one tell exactly what it was that has evaporated when it is gone?
That's easy -- they have computer models for that. </s
BTW wanted to be clear that wasn’t a typo. I meant you understand the difference. Doubt the journalist does.
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