New horizons mission captured images of frozen nitrogen glaciers on Pluto
Q. As per NASA’s New Horizons mission, Pluto’s surface has which of the following ice glaciers?
1) Nitrogen Ice
2) Carbon Dioxide ice (Dry ice)
3) Oxygen Ice
4) Water Ice- Published on 10 Feb 16a. 1, 2, 3
b. 1, 4
c. 1, 3, 4
d. All of the above
ANSWER: 1, 4
- New horizons mission has captured images of frozen nitrogen glaciers
- NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has captured images of frozen nitrogen glaciers on Pluto carrying numerous ‘floating’ hills that may be fragments of water ice, giving an insight into the dwarf planet’s fascinating geological activity.
- These hills individually measure one to several kilometres across. The hills, which are in the vast ice plain informally named Sputnik Planum within Pluto’s ‘heart,’ are likely miniature versions of the larger, jumbled mountains on Sputnik Planum’s western border. They are yet another example of Pluto’s abundant geological activity.
- ‘Chains’ of the drifting hills are formed along the flow paths of the glaciers. When the hills enter the cellular terrain of central Sputnik Planum, they become subject to the convective motions of the nitrogen ice, and are pushed to the edges of the cells, where the hills cluster in groups reaching up to 20 kilometres across.
