News Archive / Tagged: Pluto
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NASA funds study of possible Pluto orbiter
Laurel KornfeldNovember 4th, 2019There's no doubt that NASA's New Horizons mission crushed it. This has emboldened the space agency to take their exploration of the far reaches of our solar system to the next level.
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New Horizons team releases images of Pluto’s far side
Laurel KornfeldOctober 30th, 2019More than four years after New Horizons' historic July 2015 Pluto flyby, mission scientists have released detailed images of Pluto's far side, which the spacecraft was able to image only in low resolution on approach and following departure.
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Second group of names approved for features on Pluto
Laurel KornfeldOctober 24th, 2019A second set of names for features on Pluto, already used informally by members of NASA's New Horizons mission, has received formal approval by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the organization that names celestial objects and their features.
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OPINION: NASA administrator enters decades-long Pluto debate
Laurel KornfeldAugust 28th, 2019A comment by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine affirming he still considers Pluto to be a planet has drawn criticism from some media outlets that may be motivated more by politics than science. It is also a potential game changer in the decades-long planet debate.
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Gas layer may be keeping Pluto’s subsurface ocean from freezing
Laurel KornfeldMay 25th, 2019A layer of gas located beneath Pluto's icy shell could be keeping the dwarf planet's subsurface ocean from freezing, according to a new study.
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Scientists debate planet definition, status of Pluto
Laurel KornfeldMay 5th, 2019Scientists Ron Ekers and Alan Stern debated the planet definition and the status of Pluto in an event sponsored by the Philosophical Society of Washington.
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New Horizons data indicates small Kuiper Belt Objects are rare
Laurel KornfeldMarch 3rd, 2019The relatively small number of craters NASA's New Horizons spacecraft found on Pluto's moon Charon indicates very small objects are rare in the Kuiper Belt.
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Ancient subsurface ocean likely source of Charon’s surface ice
Laurel KornfeldFebruary 25th, 2019A study of data returned by New Horizons about Pluto's moon Charon indicates its surface ice originated via eruptions of an ancient subsurface ocean.
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Eternal Ice Age: Unusual ridges near Pluto’s Sputnik Planitia formed by ancient glaciers
Laurel KornfeldNovember 28th, 2018Oddly-shaped ridges located adjacent to Pluto's Sputnik Planitia were created by ancient nitrogen ice glaciers, according to a group of scientists led by the SETI Institute's Oliver White.
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A single mission could orbit Pluto and explore the Kuiper Belt
Laurel KornfeldOctober 30th, 2018While the New Horizons' mission is still exploring the Kuiper Belt a new mission could accomplish what the spacecraft has - and much more.
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New study rejects IAU rationale for demoting Pluto
Laurel KornfeldSeptember 13th, 2018Is Pluto a planet? A new study questions the controversial decision that was handed down by the International Astronomical Union.
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Pluto’s Earth-like glaciers puzzle scientists
Laurel KornfeldAugust 14th, 2018Data returned by NASA's New Horizons mission shows Pluto has extremely high mountains, where glaciation appears to be occurring, a finding scientists cannot fully explain.
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Topographic maps reveal surface details on Pluto and Charon
Laurel KornfeldJuly 14th, 2018Researchers on NASA's New Horizons team have put together global topographic maps of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, which vividly depict the stunning variety of terrains on both worlds.
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Pluto’s surface may have dunes of methane ice
Laurel KornfeldJune 2nd, 2018A new study of Pluto surface images captured by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft suggests the dwarf planet has dunes likely composed of methane ice.
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IAU approves names for features on Charon
Laurel KornfeldApril 18th, 2018The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has accepted a list of names for features on Pluto's largest moon, Charon, submitted by NASA's New Horizons mission team.
