Study: Pluto’s ice dunes give it Earth-like characteristics
Astronomers have discovered dunes of ice on Pluto, saying that it’s evidence the distant dwarf planet has “Earth-like characteristics.”
The findings were made by analyzing photos taken in July 2015 by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft as it flew by Pluto. The study was published Thursday in the journal Science.
“We knew that every solar system body with an atmosphere and a solid, rocky surface has dunes on it, but we didn’t know what we’d find on Pluto,” said lead author Matt Telfer of the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom. “Even though there is so little atmosphere, and the surface temperature is around 385 degrees below zero, we still get dunes forming.”
Scientists say it’s most likely the dune grains are methane ice from nearby mountains, blown around by winds estimated at 12 to 18 mph.
“What we have now is evidence of a diverse, dynamic and active geological surface,” Telfer told Gizmodo. “We see mountains, glaciers and ice moving. Even despite the thin atmosphere, we see evidence of that atmosphere shaping the surface of that world just as it does on our own planet.”
The dunes were likely formed within the last 500,000 years and possibly much more recently.
“Despite being 30 times further away from the sun as the Earth, it turns out Pluto still has Earth-like characteristics,” study co-author Jani Radebaugh of Brigham Young University said.
Understanding Pluto’s dunes will help scientists study similar features else where, according to the study.