. 24/7 Space News .
OUTER PLANETS
Icy 'Spider' on Pluto
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Apr 08, 2016


Pluto's unusual spider-like feature consists of at least six extensional fractures that converge to a point. Individual fractures can reach hundreds of miles long and appear to expose a reddish subsurface layer. Image courtesy NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI. For a larger version of this image please go here.

Sprawling across Pluto's icy landscape is an unusual geological feature that resembles a giant spider. "Oh, what a tangled web Pluto's geology weaves," said Oliver White, a member of the New Horizons geology team from NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California.

"The pattern these fractures form is like nothing else we've seen in the outer solar system, and shows once again that anywhere we look on Pluto, we see something different."

As shown in the enhanced color image above - obtained by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft on July 14, 2015 - this feature consists of at least six extensional fractures (indicated by white arrows) converging to a point near the center.

The longest fractures are aligned roughly north-south, and the longest of all, the informally named Sleipnir Fossa, is more than 360 miles (580 kilometers) long. The fracture aligned east-west is shorter and is less than 60 miles (100 kilometers) long.

To the north and west, the fractures extend across the mottled, rolling plains of the high northern latitudes, and to the south, they intercept and cut through the bladed terrain informally named Tartarus Dorsa.

Curiously, the spider's "legs" noticeably expose red deposits below Pluto's surface.

New Horizons scientists think fractures seen elsewhere on Pluto - which tend to run parallel to one another in long belts - are caused by global-scale extension of Pluto's water-ice crust.

The curious radiating pattern of the fractures forming the "spider" may instead be caused by a focused source of stress in the crust under the point where the fractures converge - for example, due to material welling up from under the surface.

The spider somewhat resembles radially fractured centers on Venus called novae, seen by NASA's Magellan spacecraft, as well as the Pantheon Fossae formation, seen by NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft on Mercury.

This image was obtained by New Horizons' Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC). The image resolution is approximately 2,230 feet (680 meters) per pixel. It was obtained at a range of approximately 21,100 miles (33,900 kilometers) from Pluto, about 45 minutes before New Horizons' closest approach on July 14, 2015.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
New Horizons
The million outer planets of a star called Sol






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
OUTER PLANETS
Pluto's bladed terrain in 3-D
Washington DC (SPX) Apr 04, 2016
One of the strangest landforms spotted by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft when it flew past Pluto last July was the "bladed" terrain just east of Tombaugh Regio, the informal name given to Pluto's large heart-shaped surface feature. No geology degree is necessary to see why the terrain is so interesting - just a pair of 3-D glasses will do. The blades are the dominant feature of a broad are ... read more


OUTER PLANETS
The Moon thought to play a major role in maintaining Earth's magnetic field

Moon Mission: A Blueprint for the Red Planet

The Lunar Race That Isn't

Earth's moon wandered off axis billions of years ago

OUTER PLANETS
Help keep heat on Mars Express through data mining

Scientists find Mars surface replica in India

Ancient Mars bombardment likely enhanced life-supporting habitat

Rover takes on steepest slope ever tried on Mars

OUTER PLANETS
Silicon Beach: LA tech hub where the sun always shines

Spanish port becomes global 'smart city' laboratory

New DNA/RNA Tool to Diagnose, Treat Diseases

ASU to develop the next generation science education courseware for NASA

OUTER PLANETS
Lessons learned from Tiangong 1

China launches SJ-10 retrievable space science probe

Has Tiangong 1 gone rogue

China's 1st space lab Tiangong-1 ends data service

OUTER PLANETS
Russian cargo ship docks successfully with space station

Russia launches cargo ship to space station

Cargo ship reaches space station on resupply run

Unmanned Cygnus cargo ship launches to ISS on resupply run: NASA

OUTER PLANETS
NASA Progresses Toward SpaceX Resupply Mission to Space Station

Boeing takes steps to block sale of Sea Launch

Reusing Falcon 9 boosters would slash costs by 30 percent

Atlas V OA-6 Anomaly Status

OUTER PLANETS
ALMA's most detailed image of a protoplanetary disc

Planet formation in Earth-like orbit around a young star

NASA's Spitzer Maps Climate Patterns on a Super-Earth

'Smoothed' light will help search for Earth's twins

OUTER PLANETS
New state of matter detected in a two-dimensional material

Light helps develop programmable materials

Upgrade to offer power boost to world's brightest X-ray laser

Record-breaking steel could be used for body armor, shields for satellites









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.