In the "Heart" of Pluto saves a mysterious phenomenon. Scientists strongly suspect that it is a volcano that is strange because not emit hot lava, but the mountain spewed ice!
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| 'Nothing like this has ever been seen in the outer solar system,' said NASA scientists studying mountains on Pluto. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1iSUOLm) |
Alleged ice volcanoes on Pluto was revealed by Oliver White, a researcher of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), at the annual meeting of the Division of Planetary Sciences, Astronomy Association of America on Monday, November 9, 2015, in California.
The phenomenon of suspected ice volcanoes was revealed through the data analysis of New Horizons spacecraft passing near Pluto in July 2015 ago. If this analysis is correct, there are two ice volcanoes on Pluto.
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| This artist's impression of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft encountering Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, is seen in a NASA image from July 2015. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1RvzXhj) |
Each informally named Wright Mons and Piccard Mons, located on the southern boundary of the heart-shaped area, called Sputnik Planum. Wright Mons has a height of about 1.6 kilometers, while the Piccard Mons about 5.6 kilometers. The diameter of each mountain 160 kilometers.
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| Image of Wright Mons on Pluto. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1MJZL0N) |
At the top of the mountain, there is a similar crater basins, such as those found on Mars and Earth. There, astronomers discovered a phenomenon such as traces of the eruption, hints of volcanic activity.
If the material emitted by volcanoes on Earth are rocks and mud, the volcano in Pluto erupted water, nitrogen, ammonia, and methane in the form of ice.
"There is no such phenomenon is found in the outer solar system," White said as quoted by The Guardian on Monday. The idea of the existence of volcanoes on Pluto does sound crazy. Because the dwarf planet has a distance of 30 times the distance Earth-Moon, Pluto should not receive enough heat energy to support the volcanic activity.
However, the ice volcano is the most reasonable explanation of phenomena that exist. "Whatever it will still sound strange," said White.
In addition to finding an ice volcano, New Horizon also revealed the existence of a fault in the area along 322 kilometers. The upper part of the fault is 4 kilometers higher than surrounding areas. "The fact that there are many major faults in Pluto indicates that the crust undergo extension in its history," said White.
Scientists suspect, the radioactive activity of Pluto nucleus becomes a source of heat for geological activity. Now, the New Horizons spacecraft continues its journey to exploring the world of Kuiper Belt. And 2019, the spacecraft will pass close to one of the objects there. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | THE GUARDIAN]
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