There Are Winds Blowing On Pluto, Driven by Frozen Nitrogen

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft captured this image of Sputnik Planitia — a glacial expanse rich in nitrogen, carbon monoxide and methane ices — that forms the left lobe of a heart-shaped feature on Pluto’s surface. SwRI scientists studied the dwarf planet’s nitrogen and carbon monoxide composition to develop a new theory for its formation.

This annotated image of the southern region of Sputnik Planitia illustrates its complexity, including the polygonal shapes of Pluto’s icy plains, its two mountain ranges, and a region where it appears that ancient, heavily-cratered terrain has been invaded by much newer icy deposits. The large crater highlighted in the image is about 30 miles wide, approximately the size of the greater Washington, DC area.

That wind flows in the opposite direction of the planet’s rotation, and it may be responsible for unusual surface features on the planet. As the thin, nitrogen-rich wind blows along the surface, it transports heat, grains of ice and haze particles to create dark wind streaks and plains across the north and northwestern regions.

The vast nitrogen ice plains of Pluto’s informally named Sputnik Planum – the western half of Pluto’s “heart”. Image Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI The team found that winds above 4 km blow to the west, which is in the opposite direction of Pluto’s spin. When frozen nitrogen in Tombaugh Regio sublimates into vapor in the north, then becomes ice again in the south, that movement triggers the westward winds. This situation is likely unique in our Solar System, with the possible exception of Triton, Neptune’s moon.

If Pluto’s nitrogen heart-beat is driving these winds, they might explain the wind streaks and dark plains west of Sputnik Planitia. If the winds bring enough heat to warm the surface, that could cause the streaks and plains. Or it could deposit particles of haze, which can darken and erode the ice. And if the wind blew in the opposite direction—meaning in the same direction as Pluto’s spin—the landscapes could be very different.

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