Pluto's Expanding Atmosphere Confounds Researchers, Pluto Atomosphere |
Pluto's Expanding Atmosphere Confounds Researchers, Pluto Atomosphere |
Apr 19 2011, 08:26 PM
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 21 Joined: 4-November 10 Member No.: 5509 |
Pluto's Expanding Atmosphere Confounds Researchers
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011...onf.html?ref=hp Could these be evidence of geyers like on Triton? |
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Apr 20 2011, 01:32 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 293 Joined: 29-August 06 From: Columbia, MD Member No.: 1083 |
Pluto's atmosphere is (almost certainly) hydrodynamically escaping. Basically, the solar wind blows the atmosphere off the planet. So, that leads to a very large height for the exobase of the atmosphere (several Pluto radii potentially). That coupled with the seasonal cycle when the atmosphere is thicker anyway, and you get a very extended, low density atmosphere.
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Apr 21 2011, 10:03 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 593 Joined: 20-April 05 Member No.: 279 |
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Apr 21 2011, 12:35 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 293 Joined: 29-August 06 From: Columbia, MD Member No.: 1083 |
And therefore Charon, almost certainly, will have a ex-Plutonian transient atmosphere. Perhaps. There's been at least one stellar occultation that allowed Bruno Sicardy and his team to place an upper limit on the atmosphere of either 110 or 15 nbar (depending on assumptions). http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v439/...ature04351.html We'll probably have to wait for New Horizons since stellar occultations of Charon are so rare. |
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