New Delhi: NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has baffled scientists with new mysteries ever since it flew past the icy planet Pluto in July 2015.
Now, using data from the New Horizons spacecraft, scientists have discovered a strange mark on the surface of the dwarf planet. NASA says far in the western hemisphere, scientists have discovered what looks like a giant 'bite mark' on the Pluto's surface.
Scientists suspect it may be caused by a process known as sublimation - the transition of a substance from a solid to a gas. This mean methane ice-rich surface on Pluto may be sublimating away into the atmosphere, exposing a layer of water-ice underneath.
What’s eating at Pluto? @NASANewHorizons scientists discovered a giant “bite mark” on Pluto: https://t.co/fVm1LsQaUm pic.twitter.com/SGV5Fjg9Kt
— NASA (@NASA) March 11, 2016
According to NASA, the image measures approximately 280 miles long by 255 miles wide and was obtained by New Horizons at a range of approximately 21,100 miles from Pluto, about 45 minutes before the spacecraft’s closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015.
(Source: NASA)
