Since the start of the New Horizons probe of the distant planet system Pluto, agency scientists have made a great deal of discoveries such as networks of frozen valleys, dunes made of ice particles and even nitrogen ice flows coming from the dwarf planet's mountainous regions.
Latest images captured by New Horizons reveal "snakeskin" geographical features that seem to rise up along the planet's day-night terminator. Highest-resolution color views of the dwarf planet were also taken, as well as intricately-detailed spectral maps of areas that may contain methane ice.
William McKinnon from Washington University, deputy lead of the New Horizons team of Geology, Geophysics and Imaging (GGI) experts, explained that the images showed a perplexing and unique landscape that stretches for more than hundreds of miles. He said that it will take a lot of time to comprehend how these geographical features were formed.
McKinnon also added that the formation may possibly be the combination of ice sublimation caused by Pluto's weak sunlight and internal tectonic forces, although his theory has yet to be proved.
The New Horizons' wide-angle Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC), along with the base of NASA's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), captured the new extended color view of the dwarf planet on July 14. The visual data, which contained the planet's palette in patterns of blue-gray and reddish material, was transmitted on Sept. 19 to Earth.
John Spencer, GGI deputy lead from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), said that the MVIC's infrared channel was used to extend the spectral view of the dwarf planet. He explained that enhancements were applied to the surface colors to bare subtle details of deep reds, oranges, yellows and pale blues.
Spencer also believes that the team has only just started to decipher the intricate climatological and geological story of Pluto's geographical features.
A high-resolution swath taken by the LORRI across the dwarf planet meanwhile revealed landscapes that seem like dunes, water ice mountains with steep cliffs and the shoreline of a glacial lake.
However, researchers also speculate that the geographical features on Pluto may not be dunes at all, and may have been formed by some other force than the wind.
Scientists say the surface of what is informally called as the Sputnik Planum seems to comprise of concentrated patterns of pits, scalloped terrain and low ridges. The icy region of Sputnik Planum may also be susceptible to formation of ridged ground and sublimation of ice to gas.
The dwarf planet's chemical composition showed striking contrasts in various regions. Additional data reveal that Sputnik Planum contains abundant amounts of methane while another region called Cthulhu Regio seemed to show none.
Higher concentrations of methane were found on the planet's crater rims and bright plains, but none were found in the darker regions or the center of craters.
Will Grundy, surface composition team lead from Lowell Observatory in Arizona, explained that the New Horizons' capacity to make compositional maps across the surface of the planet is crucial in understanding how Pluto works.
New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern meanwhile believes that the team has seen overwhelming progress in discovering Pluto at high resolution in both composition and color.
"I wish Pluto's discoverer Clyde Tombaugh had lived to see this day," Stern said.
