NASA’s New Horizons spots signs of liquid nitrogen flowing on Pluto
New analysis of NASA New Horizons data suggests that liquid nitrogen may have recently flowed through cracks on Pluto's surface near the Sputnik Planitia glacier. Researchers compared these features to terrestrial glacial patterns to support the theory of subsurface liquid activity.
Why it matters
This discovery challenges previous assumptions about Pluto's geological inactivity and provides new insights into the dwarf planet's complex environment.
A new analysis led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) suggests that liquid nitrogen may be moving upward through cracks and reaching the surface of Pluto near the northern edge of Sputnik Planitia, the enormous heart-shaped glacier that dominates part of the dwarf planet.
The findings provide the first evidence that liquid has flowed on Pluto in relatively recent times. The research is based on observations from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft and was led by SwRI Associate Vice President Dr. Alan Stern, principal investigator of the New Horizons mission.
"Pluto never stops surprising us," Lead Author Stern said, "and this new result certainly does that. In addition to suggesting that liquids have recently expressed themselves on Pluto's surface, it also suggests a new kind of time-variable feature on Pluto."
Strange Dark Features on Pluto's Giant Glacier
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