Are you looking for something to be thankful for this holiday season? In addition to the traditional and heartfelt thanks we often give for friends and family at Thanksgiving, why not slip in a little regard for all the great new images and information that we are getting of the celestial body known as Pluto. What, you don’t know about that? Let me fill you in.
In July, I blogged about the New Horizon spacecraft and how it was going to make its closest pass to Pluto on July 14, 2015. That day has come and gone, but we continue to receive great images and information from New Horizons due to the length of time it takes for data to get from the spacecraft to Earth. Scientists are still sifting through all of the data, but the information that has been released is spectacular. The Pluto system is being revealed as beautiful, complex and full of surprises. Here are some of the discoveries, complete with photos:
There is evidence of ice volcanoes on the surface
Pluto has snakeskin terrain (not sure what that is, but it sounds really cool)
Pluto is covered in oddly textured icy plains
Psychedelic Pluto (supposedly this was done in the name of science, but I’m not so sure)
One of Pluto’s moons, Charon, has a large chunk taken out of the top of it and is squashed in the middle (definitely not the scientific terms for either phenomenon)
The motion of Pluto’s moons, there are five in total, are inexplicable.
These are just a few of the highlights from an ever-increasing amount of fascinating information that is coming in about Pluto. To keep up-to-date and to find out more, check out the New Horizons and NASA websites. If you want a brief rundown of the discoveries about Pluto in video form, take a look at the New Horizons YouTube channel, Pluto in a Minute.
While there will be plenty of new and fascination data coming in about Pluto soon, it is important to note that the New Horizon’s mission is not done. As the spacecraft zooms farther out into space, it will be heading to an even more mysterious object, currently titled ‘Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69.’ If all goes well, New Horizons should rendezvous with it on January 1, 2019. A long time to wait I know, but even more to be thankful for this holiday season.
Be sure to visit A Reading Life for more reviews and news of all things happening at the Everett Public Library.
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