Post by abbybaby on May 16, 2020 19:01:03 GMT -5
Just posting an excerpt. The link has videos and a long article.
www.space.com/pluto-atmosphere-hazy-resilient-nasa-sofia.html
The thin atmosphere of Pluto may be far more resilient than scientists thought
The dwarf planet's thin shell of air is generated by the vaporization of surface ices, which leads to the lofting of nitrogen and small amounts of methane and other gases. That vaporization is driven by sunlight, the intensity of which varies greatly during Pluto's highly elliptical, 248-year-long trek around the sun.
Many scientists have thought that Pluto's atmosphere waxes and wanes dramatically as a result, probably even collapsing completely when the dwarf planet is at its farthest from the sun. However, recently published results based on observations by NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) may force scientists to rethink such notions.
www.space.com/pluto-atmosphere-hazy-resilient-nasa-sofia.html
The thin atmosphere of Pluto may be far more resilient than scientists thought
The dwarf planet's thin shell of air is generated by the vaporization of surface ices, which leads to the lofting of nitrogen and small amounts of methane and other gases. That vaporization is driven by sunlight, the intensity of which varies greatly during Pluto's highly elliptical, 248-year-long trek around the sun.
Many scientists have thought that Pluto's atmosphere waxes and wanes dramatically as a result, probably even collapsing completely when the dwarf planet is at its farthest from the sun. However, recently published results based on observations by NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) may force scientists to rethink such notions.
I read for now. I'm saving the videos or later. Pluto is amazing.
