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The surface pressure of the atmosphere of Pluto, measured by New Horizons in 2015, is about 1 Pa (10 μbar), roughly 1/100,000 of Earth's atmospheric pressure. The temperature on the surface is 40 to 60 K (−230 to −210 °C), [ 6 ] but it quickly rises with altitude due to a methane-generated greenhouse effect .
Charon, the largest moon of Pluto, is tidally locked with it, and thus has the same climate zone structure as Pluto itself. [1] Haze with multiple layers in the atmosphere of Pluto. Part of the plain Sputnik Planitia with nearby mountains is seen below. Photo by New Horizons, taken 15 min after the closest approach to Pluto.
The presence of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, in Pluto's atmosphere creates a temperature inversion, with the average temperature of its atmosphere tens of degrees warmer than its surface, [142] though observations by New Horizons have revealed Pluto's upper atmosphere to be far colder than expected (70 K, as opposed to about 100 K). [137]
Bosh was on the team of scientists that made the first direct measurement of Pluto's atmosphere and flew on the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO). [4] She was also part of the team that observed a stellar occultation of Pluto on the SOFIA aircraft in 2014, [10] which occurred about two weeks before the New Horizons spacecraft's closest approach ...
The geology of Pluto consists of the characteristics of the surface, crust, and interior of Pluto. Because of Pluto's distance from Earth, in-depth study from Earth is difficult. Many details about Pluto remained unknown until 14 July 2015, when New Horizons flew through the Pluto system and began transmitting data back to Earth. [1]
Pluto does have a thin but significant atmosphere, and under some conditions [which?] Charon's gravitation may pull some of Pluto's upper atmosphere, specifically nitrogen, from Pluto's ice formations, toward Charon's surface. The nitrogen is mostly caught in the combined center of gravity between the two bodies before reaching Charon, but any ...
Carter’s funeral is the first for a president since George H.W. Bush’s in 2018, bringing a rare moment of civility to politics as all of the remaining U.S. presidents came together
It is 2,990 km (1,860 mi) long and is the largest dark feature on Pluto. [18] It is the largest of the dark regions ( Brass Knuckles ) that span Pluto's equator. [ 16 ] The dark color of the area is speculated to be the result of a "tar" made of complex hydrocarbons called tholins covering the surface, formed from methane and nitrogen in the ...