[meteorite-list] "Artist conception" of view from Pluto (life-size d)

From: Larry Lebofsky <lebofsky_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Aug 27 12:48:11 2006
Message-ID: <1156697286.44f1ccc691b32_at_hindmost.LPL.Arizona.EDU>

Steve:

Pluto's thin atmosphere is nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane and it has a
haze layer, too. This atmosphere is getting a little thicker now even though
Pluto is moving away from the Sun, but it is thought that the atmosphere will
eventually freeze out for the "winter" as Pluto get further away from the Sun
and colder.

Why is the atmosphere getting thicker? Good question: If you look at
tempertures on the Earth, it is usually warmer in the early afternoon than it
is at noon (thermal inertia). Also, Pluto, as seen from the Earth and Sun is
actually getting darker (we may be seeing darker areas of the surface). Thus
more solar energy is getting absorbed.

Oh, dispite the "picture" of Pluto, it has one spherical satellite, Charon,
and two very small satellites of, to the best of my knowledge, unknown shape.
Nice pictur, though!

Larry

Quoting Steve Schoner <schoner_at_mybluelight.com>:

> Looks like a planet to me, with two spherical moons. And I read
> somewhere that Pluto (a planet) may actually have a thin atmosphere of
> hydrogen.
>
> We shall in nine years (if all goes well with the Pluto space mission)
> see how well this representation holds up to fact.
>
> And maybe by then the fact that Pluto is a planet will be resolved.
>
> (Leave it at 9 and anything farther out not)
>
> Steve Schoner
>
>
> [meteorite-list] "Artist conception" of view from Pluto (life-sized)
>
> Darren Garrison
> Sat, 26 Aug 2006 22:58:49 -0700
>
> http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/Plutonian_system.jpg
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Received on Sun 27 Aug 2006 12:48:06 PM PDT