The geology of Pluto and Charon through the eyes of New Horizons
Author:
Moore Jeffrey M.1, McKinnon William B.2, Spencer John R.3, Howard Alan D.4, Schenk Paul M.5, Beyer Ross A.16, Nimmo Francis7, Singer Kelsi N.3, Umurhan Orkan M.1, White Oliver L.1, Stern S. Alan3, Ennico Kimberly1, Olkin Cathy B.3, Weaver Harold A.8, Young Leslie A.3, Binzel Richard P.9, Buie Marc W.3, Buratti Bonnie J.10, Cheng Andrew F.8, Cruikshank Dale P.1, Grundy Will M.11, Linscott Ivan R.12, Reitsema Harold J.3, Reuter Dennis C.13, Showalter Mark R.6, Bray Veronica J.14, Chavez Carrie L.16, Howett Carly J. A.3, Lauer Tod R.15, Lisse Carey M.8, Parker Alex Harrison3, Porter S. B.3, Robbins Stuart J.3, Runyon Kirby8, Stryk Ted16, Throop Henry B.17, Tsang Constantine C. C.3, Verbiscer Anne J.18, Zangari Amanda M.3, Chaikin Andrew L.19, Wilhelms Don E.20, Bagenal F., Gladstone G. R., Andert T., Andrews J., Banks M., Bauer B., Bauman J., Barnouin O. S., Bedini P., Beisser K., Bhaskaran S., Birath E., Bird M., Bogan D. J., Bowman A., Brozovic M., Bryan C., Buckley M. R., Bushman S. S., Calloway A., Carcich B., Conard S., Conrad C. A., Cook J. C., Custodio O. S., Ore C. M. Dalle, Deboy C., Dischner Z. J. B., Dumont P., Earle A. M., Elliott H. A., Ercol J., Ernst C. M., Finley T., Flanigan S. H., Fountain G., Freeze M. J., Greathouse T., Green J. L., Guo Y., Hahn M., Hamilton D. P., Hamilton S. A., Hanley J., Harch A., Hart H. M., Hersman C. B., Hill A., Hill M. E., Hinson D. P., Holdridge M. E., Horanyi M., Jackman C., Jacobson R. A., Jennings D. E., Kammer J. A., Kang H. K., Kaufmann D. E., Kollmann P., Krimigis S. M., Kusnierkiewicz D., Lee J. E., Lindstrom K. L., Lunsford A. W., Mallder V. A., Martin N., McComas D. J., McNutt R. L., Mehoke D., Mehoke T., Melin E. D., Mutchler M., Nelson D., Nunez J. I., Ocampo A., Owen W. M., Paetzold M., Page B., Parker J. W., Pelletier F., Peterson J., Pinkine N., Piquette M., Protopapa S., Redfern J., Roberts J. H., Rogers G., Rose D., Retherford K. D., Ryschkewitsch M. G., Schindhelm E., Sepan B., Soluri M., Stanbridge D., Steffl A. J., Strobel D. F., Summers M. E., Szalay J. R., Tapley M., Taylor A., Taylor H., Tyler G. L., Versteeg M. H., Vincent M., Webbert R., Weidner S., Weigle G. E., Whittenburg K., Williams B. G., Williams K., Williams S., Woods W. W., Zirnstein E.,
Affiliation:
1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA. 2. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. 3. Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA. 4. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA. 5. Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA. 6. The SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. 7. University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA. 8. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA. 9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. 10. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91019, USA. 11. Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA. 12. Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. 13. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA. 14. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. 15. National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA. 16. Roane State Community College, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA. 17. Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA. 18. Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA. 19. Independent Science Writer, Arlington, VT 05250, USA. 20. U.S. Geological Survey, Retired, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
Abstract
New Horizons unveils the Pluto system
In July 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft flew through the Pluto system at high speed, humanity's first close look at this enigmatic system on the outskirts of our solar system. In a series of papers, the New Horizons team present their analysis of the encounter data downloaded so far: Moore
et al.
present the complex surface features and geology of Pluto and its large moon Charon, including evidence of tectonics, glacial flow, and possible cryovolcanoes. Grundy
et al.
analyzed the colors and chemical compositions of their surfaces, with ices of H
2
O, CH
4
, CO, N
2
, and NH
3
and a reddish material which may be tholins. Gladstone
et al.
investigated the atmosphere of Pluto, which is colder and more compact than expected and hosts numerous extensive layers of haze. Weaver
et al.
examined the small moons Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra, which are irregularly shaped, fast-rotating, and have bright surfaces. Bagenal
et al.
report how Pluto modifies its space environment, including interactions with the solar wind and a lack of dust in the system. Together, these findings massively increase our understanding of the bodies in the outer solar system. They will underpin the analysis of New Horizons data, which will continue for years to come.
Science
, this issue pp.
1284
,
10.1126/science.aad9189
,
10.1126/science.aad8866
,
10.1126/science.aae0030
, &
10.1126/science.aad9045
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Subject
Multidisciplinary
Cited by
218 articles.
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