Chapter 514: Bold plan

Pluto low temperature volcano exposure
The probe captured a suspected huge low-temperature volcano on Pluto. On January 17, 2016, NASA said that the \"New Horizons\" space probe captured a high-definition image of one of the two low-temperature volcanoes that may exist on Pluto.
In July 2015, the probe photographed from a distance of 48,000 kilometers from Pluto. The suspected low-temperature volcano has a height of 4,000 meters and a diameter of 150 kilometers.
Found on Pluto \"Snow Mountain\"
On March 4, 2016, the tops of some high mountains on Pluto were like the Earth, covered with white \"white snow\". This is the latest discovery by the NASA \"New Horizons\" project team.
Researchers found that in a dark area of ​​Pluto that was informally named \"Cthulhu\", there is a mountain range about 420 kilometers long, the top of which is covered by \"exotic ice and snow\".
Scientists believe that the main component of the ice and snow is methane in the atmosphere of Pluto, which condenses and falls to the top of the mountain. "New Horizons" project team scientist John Stansbury said in a statement that this material only covers the top of mountain peaks, which means that methane, like water in the earth’s atmosphere, will condense at high latitudes. Into \"Ice and Snow\".
Pluto has clouds
According to the British Daily Mail, since 2005, the NASA \"New Horizons\" probe first arrived at Pluto. In July 2015, the probe once again approached Pluto's orbit. The New Horizons probe has successively sent images of Pluto's icebergs, ice blocks, craters, and even snow. Recently, the latest images show evidence of the existence of clouds on Pluto.
This research raises a question-should Pluto be restored to planetary status? But physicists say this is unlikely. John Spencer of the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado, USA, pointed out that these clouds seem to "stand out" from the surface of Pluto.
There is a very bright low-altitude smog over the southeastern part of the Sputnik Plain on the left side of the picture. There is a discrete fuzzy cloud on the sun-lit area on the right side of the picture, but the New Horizons research team could not confirm the real existence of the cloud. According to a picture released by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, there are clouds above Pluto. The research team believes that this is evidence of the existence of Pluto’s atmosphere, including complex haze. Scientists continue to analyze and discuss the input data. This will be part of the normative scientific process.
If Pluto has clouds, it means that it has an active cycle, like the Earth’s water cycle or Titan’s methane cycle. This research has generated new questions about the surface and atmosphere of Pluto. Professor Martin Barstow, Chairman of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: "This is an exciting new discovery when the New Horizons probe flew over Pluto, although I Think it takes some time to understand the information we observe.\"
Compared with the earth, Pluto's atmosphere is thinner, so there is a greater uncertainty about whether there are clouds. Barstow said: "The earth's atmosphere clouds are formed by suspended water droplets in the atmosphere. We may see a similar effect, but it is not necessarily water, especially when the temperature is very low, or the surface releases materials to form clouds, so we see There is more gas in the area and it looks more opaque than the surrounding area.\"
But physicists emphasize that even if Pluto has some type of active cycle, it will not restore its planetary identity. It is reported that in 2006, Pluto lost its planetary identity. [8] Barstow pointed out that other planets in the solar system also have active cycles, such as Titan (Saturn's largest moon). I don't think this latest research will become a strong evidence for the restoration of Pluto's planetary identity. [9]
Ten most important scientific discoveries of Pluto and its satellite system
1. The complexity of Pluto and its satellite system has greatly exceeded the previous predictions of astronomers.
2. The intensity of Pluto's surface activity and the new age of the geological formation of certain areas ~EbookFREE.me~ shocked scientists.
3. The atmospheric structure of Pluto is lower and hazy than expected, and its escape rate is different from the previous model predicted.
4. There is an obvious extended geological structure in the Charon equatorial area, which shows that there may have been ice oceans here in ancient times. Other evidence from New Horizons suggests that there may be an internal ocean beneath the surface of Pluto today.
5. Among the moons of Pluto, those whose age can be determined by the crater were all born at the same time, which verified a scientist's assumption: these moons were caused by a violent collision between Pluto and another Kuiper belt object in ancient times. Forming.
6. Charon has a gloomy red north pole, which has never appeared in other known celestial bodies in the solar system. Scientists speculate that this was formed by the re-gathering of atmospheric material that escaped from Pluto on the surface of Charon.
7. The Sputnik Plain where \"Pluto's Heart\" is located is formed by strong convection of nitrogen ice, and it is 1,000 kilometers wide. This is also the largest known glacier structure in the solar system.
8. "New Horizons" evidence shows that there is a huge pressure difference in Pluto's atmosphere, which means that there may have been liquid waves on the surface of Pluto. Currently we are only on Earth, Mars and Titan.\"Titan\ "This phenomenon has been observed on several planets in the solar system.
9. The visit of the \"New Horizons\" has greatly enriched scientists' knowledge about the other small moons of Pluto.
10. The atmosphere of Pluto is blue.
\"Unbelievable. Only a year ago, we knew so little about the Pluto system. \"\"New Horizons\" mission scientist H. Weaver said, \"But today, we recognize Pluto It is so special, it overturns all our previous assumptions. What is even more exciting is that it continues to bring us surprises.\"[10]