Dynamic world revealed from new Pluto findings

The New Horizons science team has published new findings from their mission to Pluto in a series of 5 articles in the journal Science. The data from the papers reveal that Pluto is much more geologically diverse and dynamic than anyone could have imagined.

“These five detailed papers completely transform our view of Pluto – revealing the former ‘astronomer’s planet’ to be a real world with diverse and active geology, exotic surface chemistry, a complex atmosphere, puzzling interaction with the sun and an intriguing system of small moons.” Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator said.

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Even though less than half of New Horizons data has been transmitted back home to date, the science team has already had their work cut out for them. NASA described the findings of Pluto as “more interesting and puzzling than models predicted.”

A dense hazy atmosphere, floating icy hills, and an icy surface that appears to have changed in recent history and may be actively changing today are just a few of the discoveries that have come out of the New Horizons mission.

Much of the geological diversity stems from the multiple volatile ices on the surface. Pluto has methane, nitrogen and carbon monoxide ice that seem to go through freezing and precipitation (perhaps snow) cycles.

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