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Sputnik Planitia

All articles tagged with #sputnik planitia

"Effortless Floating in Pluto's Hidden Ocean"

A recent study suggests that Pluto may have a subsurface ocean beneath its frozen surface, potentially deeper and denser than Earth's seawater. Clues from the New Horizons mission, such as the lack of an equatorial bulge and surface fractures, hint at this possibility. Researchers modeled the ocean's characteristics, estimating it to be 25-50 miles thick and 8% denser than Earth's seawater. However, the idea remains controversial, and more data is needed to confirm the existence of this ocean.

via Space.com|

#cryovolcanoes #new-horizons #pluto

science1 year ago•5 min saved

"The Cataclysmic Event Behind Pluto's Heart"

Researchers believe that a cataclysmic collision with a planetary body early in Pluto's history created the distinctive heart-shaped feature on its surface, known as Tombaugh Regio. The impact formed a deep basin called Sputnik Planitia, which is home to much of Pluto's nitrogen ice. The collision likely involved a planetary body about 435 miles in diameter and resulted in a teardrop shape due to the frigidity of Pluto's core and the impact's relatively low velocity. This new theory sheds light on how Pluto formed and could provide insights into its mysterious origins on the edge of the solar system.

via CNN|

#dwarf-planet #new-horizons-spacecraft #planetary-collision

astronomy1 year ago•5 min saved

"The Violent Origins of Pluto's Heart: Astrophysicists Uncover Cosmic Collision"

An international team of astrophysicists has solved the mystery of Pluto's heart-shaped feature, attributing it to a giant and slow oblique-angle impact with a planetary body over 400 miles in diameter. The impact formed Sputnik Planitia, a region predominantly filled with nitrogen ice, and the study suggests that Pluto's inner structure is different from previous assumptions, indicating no subsurface ocean. The findings shed new light on Pluto's early history and offer a novel origin hypothesis for its unique surface feature.

via SciTechDaily|

#astronomy #astrophysics #numerical-simulations

astronomy1 year ago•5 min saved

"Unraveling the Enigma of Pluto's Heart-Shaped Surface Feature"

An international team of astrophysicists has solved the mystery of the heart-shaped feature on Pluto's surface, attributing it to a giant and slow oblique-angle impact. Using numerical simulations, the team determined that a collision with a planetary body about 700 km in diameter formed the feature, known as Sputnik Planitia. The study also suggests that Pluto's internal structure is different from previous assumptions, indicating no subsurface ocean. This research sheds new light on the origins of Pluto and its unique surface features.

via Phys.org|

#astronomy #astrophysics #numerical-simulations