Pluto Surface Observations 1: NH Post-Encounter Phase, 1 Aug 2015- 10 Oct 2015 |
Pluto Surface Observations 1: NH Post-Encounter Phase, 1 Aug 2015- 10 Oct 2015 |
Aug 1 2015, 05:53 PM
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8785 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
This topic will contain images & discussion of same as they arrive during the extended download period. Similar threads will be opened in coming months as required as acquired data & discussion proceeds.
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Aug 20 2015, 03:23 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 423 Joined: 13-November 14 From: Norway Member No.: 7310 |
I was intrigued by what appears to be 'cells' in Sputnik that have plenty of dark stuff covering them, making them appear very dark:
Then it struck me that almost all of them were adjacent to mountains (and none of them far from mountains). Many of the mountains look quite steep and probably undergo rockfall and similar erosion processes. On the top of the slopes, dark stuff could accumulate (or be produced) and subsequently get carried down to surrounding plains on Sputnik by e.g. rockfall. The sharp boundaries of the 'cells' would then, I presume, be a sign of topography - the 'cells' would either be concave or convex in shape with clear boundaries between them. The simplest explanation would be that the boundaries of 'cells' were elevated relative to them, acting like fences to trap the dark particles within the 'cells'. Further north, the cells are larger, allowing the particles to be carried further away by wind and preventing them from saturating the 'cells'. In the process, the prevailing wind direction in the area is also revealed: -------------------- |
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Aug 20 2015, 03:57 PM
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 82 Joined: 13-July 15 Member No.: 7579 |
I was intrigued by what appears to be 'cells' in Sputnik that have plenty of dark stuff covering them, making them appear very dark: I think the bright surface of Sputnik - it's just a white frost, but dark "cells" - the same as the dark flow to the northeast from Sputnik. These are places where the frost has sublimated over the summer and drew partly transparent ice (but water ice, not solid nitrogen). The density of the atmosphere is too low to wind could blow not quite large particles, but the picture looks like sublimation. Over the cliffs (due to turbulence), and on the hills sublimation going faster. |
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Aug 21 2015, 08:22 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 423 Joined: 13-November 14 From: Norway Member No.: 7310 |
The density of the atmosphere is too low to wind could blow not quite large particles, but the picture looks like sublimation. The winds at Triton were considered responsible for giving geysers there trails. As I understand it, the surface pressure on Pluto can reach similar values to Triton (although the exact numbers appear to be a hot topic with the earliest REX data). -------------------- |
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 26th September 2024 - 11:35 PM |
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