NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft sent back to Earth an intriguing surface image of Pluto. Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) extends the highest-resolution views of Pluto to the very center of the icy plain that is informally named as Sputnik Planum, which forms the left side of the dwarf planet’s “heart” feature.
A lower elevation than most areas by several miles, Sputnik Planum isn’t completely flat at all. The icy plain’s surface is separated into polygons or cells 16 to 40 kilometers (10 to 25 miles) wide. The cells can be seen to have slightly raised centers and ridged margins, with approximately a hundred yards or a hundred meters of overall height variation.
The pattern of the cells, mission scientists believe, stems from the nitrogen-dominated ices’ slow thermal convection. Pluto’s modest internal heat warms the solid nitrogen, a reservoir that scientists believe several kilometers or miles deep in some places. The solid nitrogen then becomes buoyant and rises in great blobs. It eventually cools off and sinks again to repeat the cycle.
Washington University’s New Horizons Geology, Geophysics, and Imaging team leader, William Mckinnon, said that particular area of the dwarf planet is acting like a lava lamp, which is probably as wide as or even deeper than the Hudson Bay.
New Horizons team’s computer models reveal that the overturning solid nitrogen’s blobs can slowly evolve and merge over millions of years. The ridged margins mark where cooled nitrogen ice sinks back down. They can be pinched off and abandoned. Very likely, the ‘X’ feature is one of these – formerly quadruple junction where 4 convection cells meet. A couple of active triple junctions can be seen in other areas in the LORRI mosaic.
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Looks like a couple of slugs to me one crawling over the back of another
It looks to be something walking on a path..
I thought they were going to mention the black object that is in the picture. All they wrote about was the ground features and an X mark on the ground. Bummer.
Alot of table salt and slugs...
NASA reminds me of Star trek .going where no no man has gone before ,except someone's already there.
Looks like a well traveled road going in different locations. I think it might be a fake picture. If it really came from Nasa.
Is anyone of the knowledgeable going to say anything about the black object?
Like this its cool
Go to thesis Rusia look at sun image 25 - 28 december something blocked out hiding something ????
N ever
A
S traight
A nswer
youtube.com/watch?v=gPEPRgfVlU4
WIERD LOOKING I BLOWEN IT UP AND SEE TWO LIGHTS MAYBE THREE!;AND WHAT LOOKS LIKE A TOWER AT THE END AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS SMOKE OR OIL BUT AS I LOOKED AT IT CLOSELY IT HAS BEAMS THAT ARE FROM THE RIGHT TOP SIDE RUNNING DOWN TOO THE GROUND AND ON THE LEFT SIDE ALSO:IT IS TOWERING PREETY HIGH I MUST SAY MILES MAYBE:THEN I LOOKED AT THE STRUCKTER IN THE MIDDLE LOKKS LIKE A PLANE WITH 4 ENGINES AND WINGS INSIDE A LIGHT AT THE RIGHT TOP OF IT THEN AT THE TAIL AND THEN A REAL SMALL LIGHT ALL THE WAY WERE IT LOOKS LIKE A TAIL:UMMMM I THINK IT;S A MACHINE.THE STRANGE TRAILS AND THEN I LOOKED AT THE BLACK SPOT ABOVE THE LEFT LOOKS LIKE A BIG HOLE:AND I THINK IT LEFT THOSE TRACKS WHAT WE SEE THERE LONG AGO:THE MACHINE MY BE NOT WORKING FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS BUT THOSE DO LOOK LIKE LIGHTS.OR ICE?.Strange reminds me of SATURN RING MAKERS.I KNOW WE NOT ALONE I,VE SEEN UFOs ALL MY LIFE!!!.OVER 30 TIMES IN MY 52 YEARS.BEEN LOOKING FOR ANWSERS TO ALL THESE PHEN,OVER 32 YEARS.
Stop using capitals, your'e shouting, and nobody reads it!