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NASA Probe Spies Possible Polar Ice Cap On Pluto
astroengine writes: As NASA's New Horizons spacecraft rapidly approaches Pluto for its historic flyby in July, the dwarf planet is gradually sliding into focus. And in the latest series of observations beamed back from the fringes of the Kuiper belt, surface features are becoming evident including the stunning revelation that Pluto may possess a polar ice cap. "As we approach the Pluto system we are starting to see intriguing features such as a bright region near Pluto's visible pole, starting the great scientific adventure to understand this enigmatic celestial object," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington D.C. "As we get closer, the excitement is building in our quest to unravel the mysteries of Pluto using data from New Horizons."
Pluto got the shaft. Pluto is round, having reached a hydrostatic equilibrium due to it's own gravity. It orbits the Sun. It's a planet!
And so are thousands of trans-Neptunian objects.
How are the kids going to learn the name of 2000 (at the very least) damn planets orbiting our sun. Think of the kids !!!!
In astronomical parlance, any volatile in solid form is an 'ice' (yes, I realize this is not the adopted nomenclature outside of the field). So yes, it could be something like CO2, etc.