Sentences with phrase «nitrogen ice plains»

Not exact matches

The new images, at resolutions of about 80 meters per pixel, show a striking shoreline, where smooth plains of nitrogen ice from Pluto's «heart» rub up against water ice mountains several kilometers high.

Qiang Wei at Peking University in China and his colleagues calculated that nitrogen ice, which is softer than water ice, on Pluto's plains may flow like molasses to fill in craters as they form.

This photo has a resolution of about 80 meters per pixel, crisp enough to show the jagged edges of ice mountains that rise above a plain of frozen nitrogen.

Using computer models, New Horizons team members have been able to determine the depth of the layer of solid nitrogen ice within Pluto's distinctive «heart» feature — a large plain informally known as Sputnik Planum — and how fast that ice is flowing.

The new images are intriguing NASA astronomers with views of flows of nitrogen ice spreading from mountains onto flat plains, possible dune regions, and networks of valleys carved into Pluto's surface by as yet unknown materials.

As nitrogen ice on the surface of the plain cools, it recedes, only to be replaced by a rising blob of nitrogen that has been warmed by Pluto's meagre internal heat source.

The convection process is able to occur thanks to the relative structural weakness of the nitrogen ice that composes the plain.

Showing an area that is 1,290 miles top to bottom, it details the enormous geological variety found on the surface, including mountain ranges, craters, floating hills, and rugged highlands, as well as the nitrogen - ice plain informally named Sputnik Planum.