Scientists have gotten a closer look at one of Pluto's most identifiable features, Cthulu, and have found that frozen methane may have condensed on its peaks as a type of snow. Stretching nearly halfway around Pluto's equator, starting from the west of the great nitrogen ice plains known as Sputnik Planum, this feature is one of the most notable on the tiny world.
New Horizons is continuing to release new images of Pluto as it beams back information while continuing its voyage into space. Because of this, scientists are only now getting a better glimpse of some of the features on the tiny world.
Cthulu's appearance is characterized by a dark surface, which scientists think is due to being covered by a layer of dark tholins, which are complex molecules that form when methane is exposed to sunlight. Cthulu's geology exhibits a wide variety of landscapes, ranging from mountainous to smooth and to heavily cratered and fractured.
The latest image of the feature is reddish and reveals a mountain range located in southeast Cthulu that's 260 miles long. The range is situated among craters with narrow valleys separating its peaks. The upper slopes of the highest peaks are coated with a bright material that contrasts sharply with the dark red color of the surrounding plains.
Scientists believe that this bright material could be methane that has condensed as ice onto the peaks from Pluto's atmosphere.
"That this material coats only the upper slopes of the peaks suggests methane ice may act like water in Earth's atmosphere, condensing as frost at high altitude," said John Stansberry, a New Horizons science team member.
The resolution of the enhanced color image is about 2,230 feet per pixel. The image measures about 280 miles long by 140 miles wide and was taken by New Horizons at a range of about 21,100 miles from Pluto, which was about 45 minutes before its closest approach on July 14, 2015.
Scientists are continuing to discover new information about Pluto. More specifically, they're finding that this world is far more complex than previously expected. Instead of a pitted, relatively flat surface, researchers are finding mountains, canyons, craters and now even ice. This indicates that the world has had an active geologic history. And while there may be no life on Pluto, there's certainly a lot more to be found about the planet.
