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posted by takyon on Tuesday May 21 2019, @06:30PM   Printer-friendly
from the warm,-wet,-and,-gassy dept.

New Scientist:

We think that Pluto is hiding a liquid ocean, but why it hasn't frozen is a big mystery. Now it seems that gas trapped inside the bottom layer of its icy outer shell may be keeping it warm.
...
The layer would be made out of a material called a gas hydrate, which occurs when gas molecules get trapped between frozen water molecules. "It's not bubbles, it's a little microscopic cage for keeping gas atoms in," says Nimmo. "It doesn't look very different from regular ice, but it's got all that gas in there."

Gas hydrates are much better insulators than water ice, so the researchers calculated that this extra layer could keep the ocean around and maintain the ice shell as we see it now. This may help explain why Pluto's tenuous atmosphere has lots of nitrogen but almost no methane – it's much easier for methane to get caught in a gas hydrate and kept underground.

Perhaps we should send our climate-harming cows to Pluto...

Also at ScienceAlert and Space.com.

Pluto's ocean is capped and insulated by gas hydrates (DOI: 10.1038/s41561-019-0369-8) (DX)


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by PinkyGigglebrain on Tuesday May 21 2019, @09:00PM (1 child)

    by PinkyGigglebrain (4458) on Tuesday May 21 2019, @09:00PM (#845928)

    When ever I hear about stuff like this I always remember the line from Hamlet;

    "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
    Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. "

    Now I have to wonder if there could be life there. One would think not but history has shown that life manages to find a way.

    --
    "Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +1  
       Interesting=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Interesting' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   3  
  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday May 21 2019, @09:08PM

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Tuesday May 21 2019, @09:08PM (#845934) Journal

    I've been posting this link for a couple of years now:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_lakes_and_seas_in_the_Solar_System [wikipedia.org]

    Let that sink in.

    --
    [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]