As expected, Pluto’s atmosphere is freezing as its orbit takes it from the Sun
Data from ground-based telescopes has now confirmed that Pluto’s nitrogen atmosphere has begun it annual winter freeze out as the planet’s somewhat elliptical 248-year-long orbit takes it away from the Sun.
For about 25 years, Pluto has been moving farther and farther away from the sun, so its surface temperature has been going down. And with these recent observations, the researchers found evidence showing that Pluto’s atmosphere is actually refreezing back onto its surface as the dwarf planet gets colder and colder. Pluto is so far from the sun that, as time goes on, it will get distinctly farther away (and colder) before getting closer to the sun in other regions of its immense orbit.
The astronomers were able to detect this refreezing by observing the planet as it eclipsed a star in 2018.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Data from ground-based telescopes has now confirmed that Pluto’s nitrogen atmosphere has begun it annual winter freeze out as the planet’s somewhat elliptical 248-year-long orbit takes it away from the Sun.
For about 25 years, Pluto has been moving farther and farther away from the sun, so its surface temperature has been going down. And with these recent observations, the researchers found evidence showing that Pluto’s atmosphere is actually refreezing back onto its surface as the dwarf planet gets colder and colder. Pluto is so far from the sun that, as time goes on, it will get distinctly farther away (and colder) before getting closer to the sun in other regions of its immense orbit.
The astronomers were able to detect this refreezing by observing the planet as it eclipsed a star in 2018.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
“… observing the planet as it was eclipsed by a star …”
Um.
Actually, that was the other way around.
Call me Ishamel: Yup, you are right. Post corrected.
I wonder what (very slow!) Chemistry is going on out there? All sorts of chemicals in strange states mixing in alien ways, and the possibility of an underground liquid water ocean…. The same thoughts occur to me regarding Titan… Although Titan has liquid on the surface.
As Bob repeatedly says, these world’s are truly alien… We cannot even begin to understand the processes that occur on these world’s without much closer investigation. I just hope that some answers are revealed in our lifetimes!
Titan has seas of high test. I want it.
“… observing the planet as it was eclipsed by a star …”
Now that, would be worth seeing.
Actually, Pluto gets eclipsed by a star approximately once a year! :)
Not advisable to watch it directly though.
Dusk on Trenco.
I always thought that was a cool idea. Very strange to know it actually happens, even if “annually” rather than “daily”.