For those who are into astronomy, what NASA’s New Horizons has revealed might blow your mind. After making its journey through our solar system for around 9.5 years, on July 14, 2015, the interplanetary space probe New Horizons had come closest to Pluto till date. And the spectacular pictures that the spacecraft have sent back since then have opened doors to many new data which was unknown till now. Let's take a closer look at some of the surprising discoveries made by New Horizons, as reported by Wall Street OTC.
Pluto is not a dead planet at all
For long Pluto was considered to be a dead, old planet that was circling the solar system we belong to. But the New Horizons has revealed startling information that the planet is still evolving. Beneath its outer cold exterior, it has young mountains of not more than of 100 million years' age or icy flat areas and plain regions, etc., as a result of the radioactive decay that is still in process deep inside the planet.
The blue skies of Pluto
The images that the probe have sent back are the first color images of Pluto where a blue ring around the dwarf planet is evident. By observing the blue skies, the scientists have come to this conclusion that just like Saturn or our Earth, a molecular process is taking place in the atmosphere of Pluto, where the gray and red particles in the atmosphere are giving a blue ring-like look when reflecting the sunlight.
Charon may have had water-ice ocean once
When it comes to being fascinating, the moon of Pluto, i.e., Charon have been found to be equally amazing like that of the dwarf planet. As revealed by the photos taken by the New Horizons, there is very much possibility that Charon once had an underground water system, which later turned into ice, cracking the surface open and resulting in fractured regions, canyons, etc.
It once had or may have wind
The ‘dunes’ or the dark field found in the photos of Pluto could indicate that the planet once had wind or may have it even now. Though till now it was believed that Pluto doesn’t have an atmosphere, the formations found in the photographs indicates the dark areas to be rock, making it possible for Pluto to have a rather thicker atmosphere.
Pluto does have a color
The video footages sent by New Horizon has also pointed out the fact that Pluto is not at all a colorless planet, but boasts an orange shade. While Charon, the largest moon of Pluto, has been found to be gray.
For years, since the very discovery of this dwarf planet, not much information was known to scientists. However, with the launching of the project New Horizons, astounding facts have come to surface, making it certain that Pluto is not an ordinary ice cold planet but a rather more special planet unknown to man.