New Mysteries on Pluto

[Spider]

Having trouble imagining it. Sublimation is pretty gentle and gradual that far from the sun, I'd bet. For this, I'm thinking there would need to be something a lot more energetic going on. Hell, there isn't even enough gravity to effectively retain that temporary atmosphere, much less carve out surface features with it.

Planetary science peeps are actually pretty blown away right now at what they're seeing. This near total lack of cratering was a big surprise to all. They're talking about resurfacing with heat. Belching up new layers of ice and material from below the surface.

[fstarcstar]

Spider, fyi I wasn't trying to be a douche, I am fascinated with the images of Pluto and have recently become really interested with space in general. So dont hate me, I just wondered why it was significant because anything I've read up to this point doesn't seem all that exciting, I can always be proven wrong.

Based off your comments above, are some insinuating that Pluto may have an inner core with lava, or something else?

[Spider]

I don't hate you. Its pretty much a certainty I've developed a complex around here. Possibly I misread the tone of your post. If so, apologies.

And I don't think its actually a molten core, but more likely a radiological process causing extremely cold things to be somewhat less cold than the things nearby. So liquid nitrogen, for example, would be analogous to lava, and volcanic eruptions would be about shooting out ice and some amounts of liquid and gas at extremely low temperatures. There could actually be "bedrock" made of water ice. Methane, nitrogen, carbon monoxide...ice made of these isn't strong enough to support the weight of 10,000 ft high mountain ranges. So there has to be some serious geology going on. At these -400 degree temperatures, water ice, on the other hand, is strong enough to do it at this gravity load. And there is evidence of a sort of weathering.

I haven't read anything where anyone suggested volcanic activity clear out on that frozen rock.

This is all interesting because that sort of activity requires energy to make it happen. There needs to be internal temperature differentials, convective currents, irradiation from outside, or gravitational sheer and tidal effects...all of which are though to be in extremely short supply on Pluto, so far from the sun, so far from any major planetary gravity wells, and so lacking in extant mass in the local system to explain it. Obviously the energy has to be coming from somewhere, but my reading of the findings so far suggests that there is still a lot of debate about exactly what that is.

[Medius]

There's only one conclusion. We have to blow up Pluto and see what's inside. Science demands it.

[fstarcstar]

Spider, you think by chance that Pluto had those shortly after its inception (I.e. Big bang theory or other event) and then was possible frozen after its distance from the sun came about?

I wouldn't doubt every single planet has an inner core like ours, just not as large or in a place where it could ever grow.

[Medius]

[John Galt]

[Medius]

[The Comrade]

we could crack earth in half by hitting it with a dwarf planet. then we could observe the core.

[Spider]