Jul 16, 2015 07:01 PM
http://www.maldonandburnhamstandard.co.u..._pictures/
EXCERPT: Scientists have told of their delight after new pictures from the Nasa spacecraft New Horizons on its successful fly-past of Pluto revealed some major surprises. The images show there is a range of mountains rising as high as 11,000ft (3,353m) above the surface of the icy planet. And Pluto's largest moon, Charon, has a canyon estimated to be four to six miles (6.4km-9.7km) deep, plus a range of cliffs and troughs stretching about 600 miles (966km) from left to right.
The mountains on Pluto are from no more than 100 million years ago - mere youngsters relative to the 4.56-billion-year age of the solar system - and may still be in the process of building, said Jeff Moore, of New Horizons' Geology, Geophysics and Imaging Team (GGI). That suggests the region they are in, which covers less than 1% of Pluto's surface, may still be geologically active today.
Nasa experts base the youthful age estimate on the lack of craters there. As with the rest of Pluto, this region is thought to have been hit by space debris for billions of years and would have once been heavily cratered - unless recent activity had given the region a facelift, erasing those pockmarks. Mr Moore said: "This is one of the youngest surfaces we've ever seen in the solar system."....
EXCERPT: Scientists have told of their delight after new pictures from the Nasa spacecraft New Horizons on its successful fly-past of Pluto revealed some major surprises. The images show there is a range of mountains rising as high as 11,000ft (3,353m) above the surface of the icy planet. And Pluto's largest moon, Charon, has a canyon estimated to be four to six miles (6.4km-9.7km) deep, plus a range of cliffs and troughs stretching about 600 miles (966km) from left to right.
The mountains on Pluto are from no more than 100 million years ago - mere youngsters relative to the 4.56-billion-year age of the solar system - and may still be in the process of building, said Jeff Moore, of New Horizons' Geology, Geophysics and Imaging Team (GGI). That suggests the region they are in, which covers less than 1% of Pluto's surface, may still be geologically active today.
Nasa experts base the youthful age estimate on the lack of craters there. As with the rest of Pluto, this region is thought to have been hit by space debris for billions of years and would have once been heavily cratered - unless recent activity had given the region a facelift, erasing those pockmarks. Mr Moore said: "This is one of the youngest surfaces we've ever seen in the solar system."....