Galaxies Astronomy Club
Hosted by Cstar1|Galaxies & More!
We keep our star talk down to earth! Beginning stargazers, professional astronomers, armchair astronauts and the cosmologically curious are all invited to join us. Galaxies Astronomy Club was founded in 1994.
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New Horizons Is Awake At Pluto The Planets + Pluto!
From: Cstar1
6/25/16
Hubble time is extremely valuable, and hard to get, so yay to the New Horizons team!
From: Cstar1
9/16/16
New Horizons' data continues to uncover surprises on Pluto and its moon
\u200BPluto may have said goodbye to its only Earthly visitor, New Horizons, but data gathered during that brief flyby is still turning up new surprises. NASA scientists have found that Pluto is unexpectedly emitting X-ray signals, and is "spray-painting" its largest moon, Charon, a vibrant red.
Read more from NewatlasPluto is "spray painting" Charon red!
X-rays aren't the only puzzle surrounding Pluto's atmosphere. After a year studying the data and images sent back from New Horizons, the mission scientists think they've solved the mystery of the red-tinged polar region on Pluto's largest moon, Charon. Methane is escaping from Pluto's atmosphere and is captured by Charon's gravity, where it settles in the icy regions at the poles. The red color is created when that methane is exposed to sunlight and molecules called tholins are formed, much like the methane snow-capped mountains seen on Pluto itself.
- Edited September 16, 2016 8:22 am by Cstar1