Astronomy
According to British physicist Brian Cox, Pluto may contain a subsurface ocean warm enough to host life.
Cox believes the glaciers on Pluto's surface hints at the possibility of a subterranean sea warm enough to host organic chemistry.
"New Horizons showed you that there may well be a subsurface ocean on Pluto, which means - if our understanding of life on Earth is even slightly correct, that you could have living things there," Cox told.
The New Horizons spacecraft completed a 3 billion mile journey across the Solar System and performed a flyby of Pluto in July.The spacecraft captured detailed images and other data of Pluto and also of its moons.
As New Horizons came within 7,800 miles of Pluto, it discovered what looked to be large mountains, which many now believe are made up of ice. These icy have led experts to suggest that they are being fed by subsurface oceans of liquid water, which rises to the surface and freezes upon contact with Pluto's -233 Celsius temperatures.
But although Pluto may be a good candidate for discovering alien life, Cox says it's unlikely to be the first place we look for it. Moons like Titan, Europa and Enceladus are all thought to share similar subsurface ocean conditions and most importantly, they're all a lot closer than Pluto.
source:- outerplaces.com
- A Full View Of Pluto?s Stunning Crescent.
This image was made just 15 minutes after New Horizons? closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, as the spacecraft looked back at Pluto toward the sun. The wide-angle perspective of this view shows the deep haze layers of Pluto's atmosphere...
- New ?snake Skin? Image Of Pluto From New Horizons
The newest high-resolution images of Pluto from NASA?s New Horizons are both dazzling and mystifying, revealing a multitude of previously unseen topographic and compositional details. This image showing an area near the line that separates day...
- The Majestic Mountains And Frozen Plains Of Pluto
Just 15 minutes after its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, NASA?s New Horizons spacecraft looked back toward the sun and captured this near sunset view of the rugged, icy mountains and flat ice plains extending to Pluto?s horizon. The...
- Image Of Pluto Eclipsing The Sun
...
- It's Official: New Horizons Survives Pluto Flyby
New Horizons Flight Controllers celebrate after they received confirmation from the spacecraft that it had successfully completed the flyby of Pluto, Tuesday, July 14, 2015 in the Mission Operations Center.A signal received from the New Horizons spacecraft...
Astronomy
Alien life on Pluto may exist
Cox believes the glaciers on Pluto's surface hints at the possibility of a subterranean sea warm enough to host organic chemistry.
"New Horizons showed you that there may well be a subsurface ocean on Pluto, which means - if our understanding of life on Earth is even slightly correct, that you could have living things there," Cox told.
The New Horizons spacecraft completed a 3 billion mile journey across the Solar System and performed a flyby of Pluto in July.The spacecraft captured detailed images and other data of Pluto and also of its moons.
As New Horizons came within 7,800 miles of Pluto, it discovered what looked to be large mountains, which many now believe are made up of ice. These icy have led experts to suggest that they are being fed by subsurface oceans of liquid water, which rises to the surface and freezes upon contact with Pluto's -233 Celsius temperatures.
But although Pluto may be a good candidate for discovering alien life, Cox says it's unlikely to be the first place we look for it. Moons like Titan, Europa and Enceladus are all thought to share similar subsurface ocean conditions and most importantly, they're all a lot closer than Pluto.
source:- outerplaces.com
- A Full View Of Pluto?s Stunning Crescent.
This image was made just 15 minutes after New Horizons? closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, as the spacecraft looked back at Pluto toward the sun. The wide-angle perspective of this view shows the deep haze layers of Pluto's atmosphere...
- New ?snake Skin? Image Of Pluto From New Horizons
The newest high-resolution images of Pluto from NASA?s New Horizons are both dazzling and mystifying, revealing a multitude of previously unseen topographic and compositional details. This image showing an area near the line that separates day...
- The Majestic Mountains And Frozen Plains Of Pluto
Just 15 minutes after its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, NASA?s New Horizons spacecraft looked back toward the sun and captured this near sunset view of the rugged, icy mountains and flat ice plains extending to Pluto?s horizon. The...
- Image Of Pluto Eclipsing The Sun
...
- It's Official: New Horizons Survives Pluto Flyby
New Horizons Flight Controllers celebrate after they received confirmation from the spacecraft that it had successfully completed the flyby of Pluto, Tuesday, July 14, 2015 in the Mission Operations Center.A signal received from the New Horizons spacecraft...