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NASA Spacecraft Finds Methane Ice Dunes On Pluto (bbc.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the geologically-diverse dept.

Scientists say they have found evidence of dunes of frozen methane on Pluto, suggesting that the distant world is more dynamic than previously thought. The research has been published in the journal Science. BBC reports: The findings come from analysis of the startling images sent back by Nasa's New Horizons mission, which flew close to Pluto in July 2015. In their study, the researchers explain how they studied pictures of a plain known as Sputnik Planitia, parts of which are covered with what look like fields of dunes. They are lying close to a range of mountains of water ice 5km high. The scientists conclude that the dunes are 0.4-1km apart and that they are made up of particles of methane ice between 200-300 micrometers in diameter -- roughly the size of grains of sand. "The methane grains could have been lofted into the atmosphere by the melting of surrounding nitrogen ice or blown down from nearby mountains," the researchers write in the journal Science. "Understanding how dunes form under Pluto conditions will help with interpreting similar features found elsewhere in the solar system."

32 comments

  1. Atmosphere? by Aighearach · · Score: 1

    Or at least, lofted into nearby space before falling to the surface.

    1. Re:Atmosphere? by AC-x · · Score: 4, Informative

      Pluto's atmosphere is big enough to support its own wikipedia page

    2. Re:Atmosphere? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I once edited the atmosphere of Pluto but it got reverted :(

    3. Re:Atmosphere? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Pluto's atmosphere is big enough to support its own wikipedia page

      It is also big enough to cause global warming. Methane is a much stronger greenhouse gas than CO2, and Pluto's high methane levels raise atmospheric temps up to 110K (-163 C), rather than the 40K to 60K it would be without an atmosphere.

    4. Re:Atmosphere? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's because you aren't part of their "Tribe". Edits done by passersby are almost always reverted, even if they are correct. That's why I stopped donating to Wiki.
      If it's a Wiki, say for Pepsi, your edit will always be reverted by employees of the Company.

      Wikipedia has a problem.

    5. Re:Atmosphere? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I've never experienced this issue, and I edit wikipedia all the time. And I am not in the cabal, and in fact I typically edit anonymously.

      But I also add an entry on the talk page explaining what I did, because, you know, comments and stuff.

      99.9% of the publicised problems with wikipedia edit-wars and ego-reverts are on 0.00001% of the actual total articles. That percentage may be too high....

    6. Re:Atmosphere? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We should go to Pluto and ban plastics there!

    7. Re:Atmosphere? by sandbagger · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately true. I was working on an article about a film and some kid replaced the entire article with his school essay. I and others tried to revert it but because we are adults with jobs competing with students with a lot of free time on their hands, I, at least gave up.

      --
      ---- The above post was generated by the Turing Institute. Maybe.
    8. Re:Atmosphere? by ilguido · · Score: 1

      Pluto is a planet, you racist!

    9. Re:Atmosphere? by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Iceworm supporting and spice for all. No gom jabbar test needed.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    10. Re:Atmosphere? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds toasty.

    11. Re:Atmosphere? by mi · · Score: 1

      Obligatory...

      --
      In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
    12. Re:Atmosphere? by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      Every methane rock in the asteroid belt has some diffuse gas floating around it. The nature of gravity is such that it works that way at low (from a human perspective) mass levels. Any gaseous rock will produce local warming. It doesn't mean they have an atmosphere.

    13. Re:Atmosphere? by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      You probably just don't know your anonymous edits are being reverted.

      Also, stop using numbers. You made those ones up, and that isn't how statistics works.

    14. Re:Atmosphere? by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      Dwarf humans are still humans, your post seems to indicate that you don't consider a dwarf to be real unless it pretends not to be a dwarf.

      You're surely the -ist here.

      Dwarf humans are humans, miniature poodles are dogs, and if you can't figure out that a dwarf planet is still a planet you should just stop body-shaming it and go die in a planetarium fire!

  2. This can be found closer to home by hyades1 · · Score: 1

    A sneaky fart in mid-winter Yellowknife produces similar results. Of course, there might be a small amount of hydrogen sulphide contamination.

    --
    I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
  3. Which means it's a planet by sandbagger · · Score: 1

    'Nuff said.

    --
    ---- The above post was generated by the Turing Institute. Maybe.
    1. Re:Which means it's a planet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here here!

      Planet deniers be damned!

    2. Re:Which means it's a planet by Green+Mountain+Bot · · Score: 1

      There, there. It'll be okay.

  4. Apparently they didn't get the memo by jrumney · · Score: 1

    It is Sputnik dwarf planitia now.

  5. Let the drilling begin! by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

    I'm sure someone will figure out how to take advantage of this.

    1. Re:Let the drilling begin! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nestle will steal all of this water and sell it at $5000 per bottle.

  6. In a seemingly unrelated discovery by gtall · · Score: 1

    ...scientists have discovered Plutonian cows.

    1. Re:In a seemingly unrelated discovery by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      that dispense ice cream, because it's freakin' cold.

      "Moooo! Brrrrr!" *squirt* *squirt* "Mooo! Brrrr!" go the shivering cold ice cream dispensing Plutonian Cows at milking time.

  7. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  8. who cares, just more wasted money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    we could have a real space station or a real moonbase by now, thanks to all the rich bureaucrats at NASA we don't

    1. Re:who cares, just more wasted money by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      For some reason we don't go back to the moon.
      The TV images of man on the moon made it look a nice place for mankind to explore space from.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  9. Planet Reborn! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Time to reintroduce the planet under its new name Pooto.

  10. What's that noise? It's coming from... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...the far reaches of our solar system! It's Pluto, quietly snickering to itself. "Demote me, will you? I've got more moons than most of your other planets! In addition, there is much more to me than you know, puny earthlings!"

  11. what would happen if we sent a probe there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and have it light a match?