[meteorite-list] "Artist conception" of view from Pluto (life-size d)

[Larry Lebofsky]

Steve:

Pluto's thin atmosphere is nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane and it has a 
haze layer, too. This atmosphere is getting a little thicker now even though 
Pluto is moving away from the Sun, but it is thought that the atmosphere will 
eventually freeze out for the "winter" as Pluto get further away from the Sun 
and colder. 

Why is the atmosphere getting thicker? Good question: If you look at 
tempertures on the Earth, it is usually warmer in the early afternoon than it 
is at noon (thermal inertia). Also, Pluto, as seen from the Earth and Sun is 
actually getting darker (we may be seeing darker areas of the surface). Thus 
more solar energy is getting absorbed.

Oh, dispite the "picture" of Pluto, it has one spherical satellite, Charon, 
and two very small satellites of, to the best of my knowledge, unknown shape. 
Nice pictur, though!

Larry

Quoting Steve Schoner <schoner at mybluelight.com>:

> Looks like a planet to me, with two spherical moons.  And I read
> somewhere that Pluto (a planet) may actually have a thin atmosphere of
> hydrogen.
> 
> We shall in nine years (if all goes well with the Pluto space mission)
> see how well this representation holds up to fact.
> 
> And maybe by then the fact that Pluto is a planet will be resolved.
> 
> (Leave it at 9 and anything farther out not)
> 
> Steve Schoner
> 
> 
> [meteorite-list] "Artist conception" of view from Pluto (life-sized)
> 
> Darren Garrison
> Sat, 26 Aug 2006 22:58:49 -0700
> 
> http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/Plutonian_system.jpg
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