{"id":16043,"date":"2015-09-24T23:01:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-24T15:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/secrets-behind-plutos-pastels-far-from-being-answered\/"},"modified":"2015-09-24T23:01:00","modified_gmt":"2015-09-24T15:01:00","slug":"secrets-behind-plutos-pastels-far-from-being-answered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/secrets-behind-plutos-pastels-far-from-being-answered\/","title":{"rendered":"Secrets behind Pluto\u2019s pastels far from being answered"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_9189\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9189\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9189 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/snakeskin_detail_620.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"382\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/snakeskin_detail_620.jpg 620w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/snakeskin_detail_620-300x185.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9189\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In this extended color image of Pluto taken by NASA\u2019s New Horizons spacecraft, rounded and bizarrely textured mountains, informally named the Tartarus Dorsa, rise up along Pluto\u2019s day-night terminator and show intricate but puzzling patterns of blue-gray ridges and reddish material in between. This view, roughly 330 miles (530 kilometers) across, combines blue, red and infrared images taken by the Ralph\/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC) on July 14, 2015, and resolves details and colors on scales as small as 0.8 miles (1.3 kilometers). Credits: NASA\/JHUAPL\/SWRI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Geologists said Thursday they are bewildered by images from NASA\u2019s New Horizons spacecraft baring unseen landscapes on Pluto with unexpected \u201csnakeskin\u201d textures, colorful chasms routing through ancient landforms, and vivid new views of apparent glacial flows.<\/p>\n<p>One close-up of a set of aligned ridges near Pluto\u2019s day-night terminator, which was at sunset when New Horizons encountered Pluto, has scientists puzzled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a unique and perplexing landscape stretching over hundreds of miles,\u201d said William McKinnon, New Horizons\u2019 geology, geophysics and imaging team deputy lead from Washington University in St. Louis. \u201cIt looks more like tree bark or dragon scales than geology. This\u2019ll really take time to figure out; maybe it\u2019s some combination of internal tectonic forces and ice sublimation driven by Pluto\u2019s faint sunlight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The latest images released Thursday add high-resolution color to the black and white pictures previously downlinked from New Horizons, which swept past Pluto on July 14 to give humans their first up close views of the faraway world.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists used data from a the MVIC color camera inside the probe\u2019s Ralph instrument to create a global view of Pluto. Information collected through the camera\u2019s blue, red and infrared filters show variations in Pluto\u2019s complex terrains, and scrolling across the 6.4 million pixel image reveals countless distinct features \u2014 craters, channels and vast ice fields \u2014 each with their own convoluted history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis image consumed the better part of this week for me,\u201d tweeted Alex Parker, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute. \u201cI removed striping noise and deconvolved the images, massively improving sharpness.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9196\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9196\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9196 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/crop_p_color2_enhanced_release_620.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/crop_p_color2_enhanced_release_620.jpg 620w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/crop_p_color2_enhanced_release_620-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/crop_p_color2_enhanced_release_620-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9196\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NASA\u2019s New Horizons spacecraft captured this high-resolution enhanced color view of Pluto on July 14, 2015. The image combines blue, red and infrared images taken by the Ralph\/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC). Credit: Credit: NASA\/JHUAPL\/SWRI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The colors are stretched and do not represent what the human eye would see, but scientists say they are useful to bring out different types of terrain dotting Pluto.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe used MVIC\u2019s infrared channel to extend our spectral view of Pluto,\u201d said John Spencer, a geology, geophysics and imaging team deputy lead from SWRI in Boulder, Colorado. \u201cPluto\u2019s surface colors were enhanced in this view to reveal subtle details in a rainbow of pale blues, yellows, oranges, and deep reds. Many landforms have their own distinct colors, telling a wonderfully complex geological and climatological story that we have only just begun to decode.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Scientists likened the Pluto\u2019s spectacular colors to a \u201cred velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You can view the nearly 70-megabyte image in full resolution on NASA\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClick that link,\u201d Parker posted to his Twitter account. \u201cZoom in. This image is unlike anything you have ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=647135003311083520&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2015%2F09%2F24%2Fsecrets-behind-plutos-pastels-far-from-being-answered%2F&amp;sessionId=39d7c6e23d349d04085f92e4fa2430fe73b2114e&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"647135003311083520\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782703425115281387=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Just how big is that new enhanced-color picture of Pluto? Here\u2019s a rough comparison to the iPhone 6 camera sensor: pic.twitter.com\/zuDSZVcrZF<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alex Parker (@Alex_Parker) September 24, 2015<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>NASA also released the sharpest views yet of Pluto from New Horizons\u2019 telescopic LORRI camera, which takes pictures in black and white.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese images \u2014 the highest-resolution yet available of Pluto \u2014 reveal features that resemble dunes, the older shoreline of a shrinking glacial ice lake, and fractured, angular water ice mountains with sheer cliffs,\u201d NASA said in a press release. \u201cColor details have been added using MVIC\u2019s global map shown above.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10244\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10244\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10244 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/astronomynow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/lorri_rider_620.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"122\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10244\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">High-resolution images of Pluto taken by NASA\u2019s New Horizons spacecraft just before closest approach on July 14, 2015, reveal features as small as 270 yards (250 meters) across, from craters to faulted mountain blocks, to the textured surface of the vast basin informally called Sputnik Planum. Enhanced color has been added from the global color image. This image is about 330 miles (530 kilometers) across. Credit: NASA\/JHUAPL\/SWRI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Parker said combining data from the black and white LORRI imager and MVIC color camera was painstaking because the images were taken from different orientations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis means going in by hand, determining the size, shape, height, and features of each mountain, and stretching and warping them to match,\u201d he said on Twitter. \u201cMy eyes hurt, but I think the result paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Scientists said the closer look at Sputnik Planum, a giant ice field the size of Texas, shows it is covered in previously unresolved pits and bumpy terrain. The textures could be dunes of ice particles.<\/p>\n<p>Newly-downlinked data from New Horizons may have moved scientists closer to answering what makes up the icy plains of Sputnik Planum, which makes up the western lobe of a bright heart-shaped feature spotted by the probe on approach to Pluto.<\/p>\n<p>An infrared spectrometer aboard New Horizons mapped concentrations of methane on the dwarf planet, and the results show an uneven distribution. Sputnik Planum appears to be rich in methane, while darker, older material to the southwest in an area informally named Cthulhu Regio has relatively little methane.<\/p>\n<p>Matching the methane data with the global map of Pluto shows more methane in regions appearing brighter in color imagery, but scientists are not sure how the results are correlated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like the classic chicken-or-egg problem,\u201d said Will Grundy, New Horizons surface composition team lead from Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. \u201cWe\u2019re unsure why this is so, but the cool thing is that New Horizons has the ability to make exquisite compositional maps across the surface of Pluto, and that\u2019ll be crucial to resolving how enigmatic Pluto works.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Researchers expect all of the Pluto flyby data to be on the ground in late 2016 \u2014 a limitation imposed by the spacecraft\u2019s 3 billion mile distance from Earth. Only then will the New Horizons science team begin to fully piece together how the distant world\u2019s climate and geology interact.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists will attempt to learn how Pluto changes with its 6.4-day rotation and decades-long seasons as the dwarf planet circuits the sun every 248 years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith these just-downlinked images and maps, we\u2019ve turned a new page in the study of Pluto beginning to reveal the planet at high resolution in both color and composition,\u201d said Alan Stern, New Horizons\u2019 principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute. \u201cI wish Pluto\u2019s discoverer Clyde Tombaugh had lived to see this day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this extended color image of Pluto taken by NASA\u2019s New Horizons spacecraft, rounded and bizarrely textured mountains, informally named the Tartarus Dorsa, rise up along Pluto\u2019s day-night terminator and show intricate but puzzling patterns of blue-gray ridges and reddish material in between. This view, roughly 330 miles (530 kilometers) across, combines blue, red and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2174,1561,2848],"class_list":["post-16043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-new-horizons","tag-planetary-science","tag-pluto"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16043"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16043\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}