New Horizons sent a snapshot of a probable cryovolcano on Pluto

Photo: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI

The probe of the New Horizons has recently sent a high-quality image of the surface of Pluto, taken on July 14 last year. The distance from the station to the surface of the planetoid at that time was 48 thousand kilometers. The picture was taken using tools such as LORRI (Long Range Reconnaissance Imager) and MVIC (Ralph / Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera).

Scientists believe that the picture may be seen cryovolcan. It is located in the region, called Wright Mons. This area stretches for about 150 kilometers, and its height is 4 kilometers. If this is indeed what it seems, then Pluto has managed to find the largest cryovolcan on the outer edges of the solar system.

Experts, studying the photo, were surprised by the unusual distribution of red material - it is not enough, and it is not at all evenly located on the surface. In addition, there is only one impact crater here, which may indicate that the surface here is relatively young. Other impact craters may have been filled with substance ejected by the cryovolcano.
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Recently, the station transmitted additional images of high quality Pluto. They can distinguish the structural features of the surface of the planetoid. The picture entered Earth on December 24, approximately 5 months after the passage of the New Horizons spacecraft at a distance of 12,500 kilometers from Pluto. The transfer of information will be carried out continuously until August 2016 or longer. Such a duration is due to the large amount of accumulated information and the low bandwidth of New Horizons communication channels - Earth.



Now New Horizons is gradually moving away from Pluto. The main task of the station now is to approach object 2014 MU69. This planetoid is located at a distance of more than 1.6 billion kilometers from Pluto. To reach the destination station should by 2019.