Graduate student Alex Nguyen's study suggests Pluto has a subsurface ocean of denser liquid water beneath an icy shell.
Graduate student Alex Nguyen led a study suggesting Pluto has a subsurface ocean of liquid water beneath a nitrogen, methane, and water ice shell, 40-80 km thick. New Horizons spacecraft images and mathematical models indicate Pluto's ocean may be 8% denser than Earth's seawater, preventing freezing due to the ice shell. The research provides insight into the outer reaches of the solar system.
May 21, 2024
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