Astronomers Discover "New Kind Of Climate" On Pluto
Pluto, long reclassified as a dwarf planet, continues to surprise scientists. Astronomers recently detected new features in its high-altitude haze - revealing more than previously known.
Once thought to be a frozen, featureless world, Pluto was found to have icy plains and rugged mountains when NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past it in 2015.
Now, researchers have studied a bluish and multi-layered haze around Pluto, which stretched more than 300 kilometres above the surface.
The astronomers noted that the haze is not just a visual oddity, but something that controls the dwarf planet's climate.
In the study titled, Evidence of haze control of Pluto's atmospheric heat balance from JWST/MIRI thermal light curves, astronomers revealed that they detected and measured the thermal emission of Pluto's haze.
They said that the "observed fluxes indicate that Pluto's haze is composed of Titan-like organic particles as well as hydrocarbon and nitrile ices and demonstrate that the haze largely controls Pluto's atmospheric balance".
Pluto's temperatures, climate and general circulation should therefore be substantially affected by the haze across seasons, the study said.
"This is unique in the solar system. It's a new kind of climate, let's say," Tanguy Bertrand, who is an astronomer at the Paris Observatory in France, who led the analysis, told Live Science.
The findings were published on June 2 in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Mysteries of Pluto
Pluto's reclassification as a dwarf planet in 2006 sparked debate. Pluto's surface composition, including nitrogen ice and tholins, is still not fully understood.
Pluto has a thin atmosphere which freezes and thaws as it orbits the Sun. Pluto's five known moons, including Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx, pose questions about formation and evolution.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope uncovers mysterious ‘climate system' on Pluto regulated by strange blue haze
Source: Live Science NASA 's James Webb Space Telescope is again on its way to expand the understanding of the outer solar system. And this time, the explanation on its dwarf planet Pluto that keeps defying expectations. Nearly a decade earlier, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft shattered the notion of the upended assumptions about Pluto's lifelessness, where new data revealed by JWST confirms something extraordinary. One of the biggest surprises which floated above all is Pluto's blueish haze, which isn't just a visual marvel but actively regulates the planet's climate. With James Webb Space Telescope data-gathering in full swing, astronomers hope to study other hazy bodies in the solar system and beyond. The success of this Pluto study may lead to new models of climate formation on exoplanets with thick, layered atmospheres. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope uncovers Pluto's mysterious climate system When NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto in 2015, it shattered the image of Pluto as a dull, frozen rock. Instead, it unveiled a dynamic world marked by vast icy plains, mountain ranges made of water ice, and most intriguingly, a bluish, multi-layered haze that enveloped the planet. This haze extended more than 185 miles (300 km) above Pluto's surface, surprising scientists with its complexity and reach. The discovery hinted that Pluto might have a more active atmosphere than previously believed — but at the time, its true impact remained uncertain. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Pluto's haze role in climate regulation revealed Astronomers have now confirmed that Pluto's haze does more than decorate the sky, dedicatedly thanks to the infrared capabilities of JWST. This significantly cools the atmosphere. According to a study published in Nature Astronomy on June 2, this haze absorbs sunlight during the day and releases it as infrared radiation at night, effectively regulating the dwarf planet's temperature. 'This is unique in the solar system,' said Tanguy Bertrand, the study's lead author and an astronomer at the Paris Observatory. 'It's a new kind of climate.' Pluto's haze composition Pluto's haze is composed of complex organic molecules known as tholins, which form when ultraviolet sunlight breaks down methane and nitrogen in the upper atmosphere. These particles then clump together into tiny haze layers that can trap and release heat. Back in 2017, planetary scientists proposed that this haze might be behind Pluto's unusually cold upper atmosphere measured at about -333°F (-203°C), or roughly 30 degrees cooler than models based on gas-only atmospheres had predicted. The idea was compelling, but proving it was another matter entirely. James Webb Space Telescope confirms Pluto's climate theory by separating signals from its Moon One major challenge in confirming the theory was Charon, Pluto's large moon, which orbits so closely that its thermal signal overlaps with Pluto's in most telescope data. This made it nearly impossible to isolate the haze's specific thermal impact. That changed with James Webb Space Telescope. In 2022, its superior infrared resolution allowed researchers to separate the emissions from Pluto and Charon. What they found confirmed the 2017 hypothesis: Pluto's mid-infrared brightness which is caused by its haze and perfectly matched earlier predictions. 'In planetary science, it's not common to have a hypothesis confirmed so quickly,' said Xi Zhang, who led the 2017 study. 'We feel pretty lucky and very excited.' What Pluto's skies reveal about the origins of life on Earth The discovery isn't just a milestone for understanding Pluto but it also opens up new possibilities for studying other hazy celestial bodies. Moons like Titan (Saturn) and Triton (Neptune) are shrouded in their own thick hazes and may exhibit similar atmospheric behaviors. Researchers even suggest that early Earth might have once resembled Pluto. Before oxygen filled our skies, Earth may have had a tholin-rich haze that acted like an insulating blanket, helping stabilize the climate and create conditions that allowed life to evolve. 'By studying Pluto's haze and chemistry,' Zhang said, 'we might get new insights into the conditions that made early Earth habitable.' Also Read | Why the US leads in UFO sightings; here's the surprising truth behind the numbers revealed
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
How do birds find their way during migration: A look at their navigation system
Source: Wikipedia Billions of birds migrate in and out of the US annually. Birds embark on incredible journeys globally, flying thousands of miles to reach their destination. Some birds rely on a remarkable array of senses to navigate, such as the 'the arctic tern', logging an astonishing distance in its lifetime- equivalent to flying to the moon and back. Birds utilize a range of senses to orient themselves, including some that are familiar to humans, and others remain a mystery to us. Birds have an impressive navigation system, they utilize various cues to navigate during migration, including sight and smell. Seasonal migrants often rely on familiar landmarks like rivers and mountain ranges, while those flying over vast bodies of water rely on their sense of smell. How birds use the sky to find their way Mostly birds migrate at night, as they cant rely on the sun for direction during that time, they use the stars to navigate. Specifically, the position and rotation of the stars around the celestial pole, which is marked by Polaris (the North Star). By learning the position and patterns of stars around this point, birds can determine their direction. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 오스템 임플란트 받아가세요 임플란터 더 알아보기 Undo According to LiveScience, research on the passageways of seabirds called Scopoli's shearwaters found that blocking their nasal passages- sense of smell didn't affect their flight over land, but they got lost over water. Birds also navigate using sun and stars, with a 'sun compass' that combines the sun's position with their integral clock. This innate GPS-like system allows them to determine their direction, and studies confirm that disrupting their internal rhythm with artificial lights throws off their navigation. Thus, highlighting the importance of this sun compass mechanism. Multifaceted navigation system that allows birds to find their way When the sky is cloudy and birds can't see the sun, the stars, or other landmarks, they rely on other extraordinary senses to navigate. One such sense is magnetoreception, which allows birds to detect the Earth's magnetic fields generated by the rippling molten metals in our planet's core. Study shows that altering magnetic fields around pigeons disrupted their homing abilities. While the exact mechanism is not clear, Professor Peter Hore suggests that birds use some sort of chemical reaction whose outcome depends on the strength and direction of Earth's magnetic field. Researchers have confirmed that there's a molecule called cryptochrome, present in birds' retinas. Cryptochrome responds to magnetic fields in lab settings, requiring blue light, but the details of its sensitivity remain unknown. Additionally, some research points to magnetoreception mechanisms in birds' beaks, involving magnetite-interacting receptors connected to the brain. Birds also detect polarized light, using retinal cells to sense the patterns that reveal the sun's position, even on cloudy days. Bird navigation can aid conservation Researchers are understanding the complex navigation systems of birds. Since birds inherit their migratory routes and distances primarily through genetics, identifying the responsible genes and their mechanisms could significantly improve conservation strategies. Also read | Astronomers discover high-altitude clouds darkening skies in YSES-1 system
NDTV
7 hours ago
- NDTV
Astronomers Discover "New Kind Of Climate" On Pluto
Pluto, long reclassified as a dwarf planet, continues to surprise scientists. Astronomers recently detected new features in its high-altitude haze - revealing more than previously known. Once thought to be a frozen, featureless world, Pluto was found to have icy plains and rugged mountains when NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past it in 2015. Now, researchers have studied a bluish and multi-layered haze around Pluto, which stretched more than 300 kilometres above the surface. The astronomers noted that the haze is not just a visual oddity, but something that controls the dwarf planet's climate. In the study titled, Evidence of haze control of Pluto's atmospheric heat balance from JWST/MIRI thermal light curves, astronomers revealed that they detected and measured the thermal emission of Pluto's haze. They said that the "observed fluxes indicate that Pluto's haze is composed of Titan-like organic particles as well as hydrocarbon and nitrile ices and demonstrate that the haze largely controls Pluto's atmospheric balance". Pluto's temperatures, climate and general circulation should therefore be substantially affected by the haze across seasons, the study said. "This is unique in the solar system. It's a new kind of climate, let's say," Tanguy Bertrand, who is an astronomer at the Paris Observatory in France, who led the analysis, told Live Science. The findings were published on June 2 in the journal Nature Astronomy. Mysteries of Pluto Pluto's reclassification as a dwarf planet in 2006 sparked debate. Pluto's surface composition, including nitrogen ice and tholins, is still not fully understood. Pluto has a thin atmosphere which freezes and thaws as it orbits the Sun. Pluto's five known moons, including Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx, pose questions about formation and evolution.
