Scientists have already observed that Pluto has a heart-shaped region formed by ice. But how did this happen?
According to research by French scientists Tangui Bertrand and Franോois Forget, the presence of this glacier is the result of a combination of local surface features and atmospheric processes.
In a study published in the journal Nature in 2016, the researchers explained that giant ice sheets are formed by the combination of carbon monoxide and methane from frozen nitrogen.
It extends four kilometers deep and a thousand kilometers wide in Pluto’s Sputnik plain.
To understand the origin of this glacier, both scientists made numerical simulations of the evolution of chemical elements in the ice sheet. Dwarf planet For 50,000 Earth years. They found that the terrain affected the formation of glaciers, which intensified the freezing of the ice.
When the heart of Pluto was discovered it was the subject of memes
Picture: Reconstruction
Climate cycles also showed NASA’s New Horizons mission and observations of polarization since 1985 and seasonal frosts that matched the data collected.
The simulation of scientists points out that this seasonal cold is expected to disappear within the next decade. Future observations may provide new opportunities to test their models, say the study authors.
Ice “Volcanoes”
Another study, published in Nature Communications in March of this year, points out that there is more evidence that ice “volcanoes” were active on Pluto until recently.
Instead of spitting lava, they expel a thick, muddy mixture of water and ice, or “solid liquid like glaciers,” from the earth, Kelsey Singer, a planetary scientist at the Southeastern Research Institute in Colorado, told AFP.
The research was made possible by analyzing data and images created by the New Horizons Probe, the first spacecraft to explore Pluto in 2015.
Pluto was once a planet
Pluto was discovered in 1930 and has been highlighted for years as the ninth planet in the Solar System.
However, in 2006, astronomers from the International Astronomical Union Decided to leave the section.
In general, a planet is considered to be a sphere orbiting a star without its own light.
In the case of Pluto, it does not meet the requirements, and its orbit relative to the Sun is influenced by Neptune’s orbit. Therefore, it is not parallel to the other planets in the Solar System. That is, it depends on other celestial objects.
The change was controversial. In 2019, NASA stated that Pluto should definitely be considered a planet, which sparked discussions.
In 2021, a new group of scientists argued that his demotion was based on backward thinking. So far, Pluto has not been classified as a planet.
Prone to fits of apathy. Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Internet advocate. Avid travel enthusiast. Entrepreneur. Music expert.
