Pluto is still continuing to defy the norm – despite all early theories predicting not much more than a desolate, icy surface, Pluto has instead turned out to be incredibly one of the most feature rich celestial bodies in our solar system.
“Pluto is showing us a diversity of landforms and complexity of processes that rival anything we’ve seen in the solar system,” said New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern. “If an artist had painted this Pluto before our fly-by, I probably would have called it over the top – but that’s what is actually there.”
Some of the newest images even show what seems to be wind swept dunes on the surface – which, if proven true, is baffling to scientists as Pluto’s atmosphere is supposedly very thin.
“Seeing dunes on Pluto – if that is what they are – would be completely wild, because Pluto’s atmosphere today is so thin,” said William B McKinnon from Washington University. “Either Pluto had a thicker atmosphere in the past, or some process we haven’t figured out is at work. It’s a head-scratcher.”
Scientists had expected the surface of Pluto to be heavily cratered due to the fact that noone knows how such a small planet could produce enough heat to melt the surface which in turn is erasing the craters, leaving a smooth terrain. Yet this is exactly what researchers are seeing on Pluto.
Check out the full amazing story here at The Guardian.
