Summary of What did NASA's New Horizons discover around Pluto?

00:00:00 - 00:10:00

The New Horizons mission has revealed that Pluto has a heart-shaped feature on its surface, that its moons are all orbiting in a circular pattern around it, and that its atmosphere varies significantly due to seasonal changes.

• 00:00:00 The New Horizons mission revealed that Pluto has a heart-shaped feature on its surface and that its moons are all orbiting in a circular pattern around it.
• 00:05:00 New Horizons discovered that 98% of Pluto's surface is comprised of nitrogen ice, which is much colder than water ice on Earth. This can be seen around the edge of the heart, glaciers flowing into the gaps around the craters and mountain ranges. There are no craters, which means it must be a relatively new feature, or a feature that is being continually renewed. The polygonal cells show ridges on them which are likely caused by sublimation, the process of an ice turning directly into a gas. Cryovolcanoes could be a contributing factor for Pluto's young surface. Another obvious feature of Pluto is the dark material that seems to be sprinkled on the surface in some areas. The darkest area, called Cthulhu Macula, is thought to be a deposit of tholins, a kind of tar made up of hydrocarbons that have interacted with sunlight.
• 00:10:00 New Horizons has returned data that suggests Pluto's atmosphere varies significantly due to seasonal changes; while the atmosphere is made of the same ices found on the surface, it has up to 20 haze layers.