News Archive / Tagged: Sputnik Planitia
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Pluto may have deep, ancient underground ocean
Laurel KornfeldApril 14th, 2020Two new studies of data collected by the New Horizons spacecraft during its 2015 Pluto flyby suggest the dwarf planet has a deep subsurface ocean that may have been present all 4.5 billion years of Pluto’s existence.
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Pluto’s heart feature controls its winds
Laurel KornfeldFebruary 20th, 2020Pluto’s iconic heart feature, named Tombaugh Regio, functions as a “beating heart” that controls the small planet’s winds and might even play a role in shaping its surface features.
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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.