We're getting some pretty spectacular views of Pluto's surface! But what's on the inside? This is Pluto in a Minute.
So, obviously, New Horizons did not land on Pluto and drill into the surface to tell scientists what's actually going on inside the planet. However, scientists can extrapolate what might be going on inside Pluto based on surface observations. Namely, scientists can get a pretty good idea of what's going on inside a planet by looking at the surface, the common materials in that region of the solar system, and how those materials are known to react to heat and pressure.
From surface observations, scientists learned that Pluto is made largely or rock and ice. Taking this in conjunction with measurements of Pluto's density allowed scientists to figure out that the interior of Pluto is about two-thirds rock and one-third ice.
And while it hasn't been confirmed that Pluto was ever internally hot enough to melt that ice, it's not impossible that a subsurface ocean could exist on Pluto. But remember, we haven't found this yet. Scientists, however, are confident that there is a rocky core in Pluto surrounded by a shell, or mantle, of ice.
That composition might not seem exotic, but it doesn't change the fact that every day we're finding Pluto to be a weirder and more wonderful world.
For more on Pluto check out the New Horizons websites, join the conversation online with the hashtag #PlutoFlyby and keep coming back here for more Pluto in a Minute.
www.nasa.gov/ne...
pluto.jhuapl.edu
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