New Horizons: Pluto

[Bear]

Since such planets out on the extreme periphery of a solar system are prone to gravitational capture and slingshots, a frozen garden world of that type could easily be a 'rogue planet' found in interstellar space. Maybe even with its mirrors still orbiting, just sort of useless far from the nearest star.

[PortalHunter]

Counting down to Tuesday.

[PortalHunter]

http://www.nasa.gov/feature/one-million-...-than-ever

One more day to go.

[PortalHunter]

At the time of posting, there's roughly 38 minutes before the probe arrives in the Pluto system. NASA will release images at around 3pm ~ 4pm EST, or at 8pm ~ 9pm BST on Wednesday.

[PortalHunter]

July 13, 2015.

[PortalHunter]

CHARON


Pluto's Icy Mountains

Funny how the first close-up image of Pluto received / released to the public doesn't have any visible impact craters on it.


HYDRA

Hey, look! It's not an extremely fuzzy pixel anymore!

[stevebowers]

That close-up of Pluto looks a bit like the chaotic terrain on Mars; large mountain blocks surrounded by flat landscape. However I don't expect that the flat landscape is formed by flowing fluids like on Mars.

[radtech497]

Not even by liquid nitrogen?

Radtech497

[stevebowers]

Liquid nitrogen is a possibility, but at very low atmospheric pressures nitrogen sublimes. I don't know the atmospheric pressure on Pluto, but it is probably quite low.

[PortalHunter]

One of the biggest mysteries NASA is trying to figure out about the Pluto/Charon system is where these bodies get their now-apparent internal heat from. Even Charon looks smooth and clean of impact craters compared to many other icy moons.

What I'm reading from NASA suggests those mountains may be supported by / formed by water ice.