Tombaugh Regio Explained

Tombaugh Regio
Type:Region
Location:Anti-Charon hemisphere of Pluto
Diameter:990disp=flipNaNdisp=flip
Discoverer:New Horizons
Eponym:Clyde Tombaugh

Tombaugh Regio, sometimes nicknamed "Pluto's heart" after its shape,[1] is the largest bright surface feature of the dwarf planet Pluto.[2] [3] [4] It lies just north of Pluto's equator, to the northeast of Belton Regio and to the northwest of Safronov Regio, which are both dark features.[5] Its western lobe, a 1000km (1,000miles)-wide plain of nitrogen and other ices lying within a basin, is named Sputnik Planitia.[6] [7] The eastern lobe consists of high-albedo uplands thought to be coated by nitrogen transported through the atmosphere from Sputnik Planitia, and then deposited as ice. Some of this nitrogen ice then returns to Sputnik Planitia via glacial flow. The region is named after Clyde Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto.

Description

Tombaugh Regio is a large, light-colored region about 990disp=flipNaNdisp=flip across.[8] The two lobes of the feature are geologically distinct. The western lobe, Sputnik Planitia, is smoother than the eastern, and they are of slightly different colors.[9] Early speculation was that the western lobe may be a large impact crater filled with nitrogen snow. Bright spots within the region were initially speculated to be mountain peaks.[10] Photos, released on 15 July 2015, revealed 11000abbr=onNaNabbr=on mountains made of water ice in the feature; they also showed no craters in this same region.[11] Subsequent data indicated that the center of Sputnik Planitia is rich in nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane ices, and that features near the edges of the region show evidence of ice flow such as glaciers, and light material overlying the darker material at the eastern edge of Belton Regio.[6] The surface of Sputnik Planitia is divided into polygonal convection cells[7] and is less than 10 million years old, indicating that Pluto is geologically active.[12]

The feature had been identified as a bright spot for six decades prior to the New Horizons flyby, although it was impossible to image it with enough resolution to determine its shape. Over these six decades the spot had been observed to be dimming.[13]

In 2020, it was found that Tombaugh Regio controlled the wind circulation of Pluto, and could sculpt the landscape on its surface.[14] [15]

Naming and shape

On 15 July 2015, the region was provisionally named "Tombaugh Regio" by the New Horizons team in honor of astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto, regio being Latin for "region".[16] On 7 September 2017, the name was officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), together with names for 13 other surface features on Pluto.[17]

NASA initially referred to the region as a "heart" in reference to its overall shape.[18] Some people find that it also resembles the Disney character Pluto, an animated non-anthropomorphic dog which shares the name of the dwarf planet, in profile facing eastward.[19] [20] [21] The Walt Disney Company acknowledged this perceived likeness in a short animation.[22]

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-spacecraft-displays-pluto-s-big-heart-0 New Horizons spacecraft displays Pluto's big heart
  2. Web site: O'Kane. Sean. This is the first high resolution image of Pluto's surface. The Verge. 15 July 2015. 15 July 2015. 5 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190105024112/https://www.theverge.com/2015/7/15/8972271/nasa-new-horizons-new-pluto-image. live.
  3. Web site: Coldewey. Devin. Latest New Horizons Photo Shows Close-Up of Pluto's Young Mountains. NBC News. Comcast. 15 July 2015. 15 July 2015. 17 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190817084705/https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/pluto-photo-n392691. live.
  4. Web site: The New York Times. New Horizons Reveals Ice Mountains on Pluto. The New York Times. 15 July 2015. 15 July 2015. 7 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190207214602/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/15/science/space/new-horizons-pluto-flyby-photos.html?_r=1. live.
  5. Web site: Places on Pluto are Being Named for Your Darkest Imaginings . 23 July 2015 . Mika . McKinnon . 14 July 2015 . 22 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150722061439/http://space.io9.com/places-on-pluto-are-being-named-for-your-darkest-imagin-1717825166 . live .
  6. Web site: New Horizons Discovers Flowing Ices on Pluto . 24 July 2015 . 25 July 2015 . NASA . 17 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160317050557/http://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-discovers-flowing-ices-on-pluto . dead .
  7. Web site: Pluto updates from AGU and DPS: Pretty pictures from a confusing world . Lakdawalla . Emily . Emily Lakdawalla . 21 December 2015 . . 2016-01-24 . 24 December 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151224193036/http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2015/12211538-pluto-updates-from-agu.html . live .
  8. News: Feltman. Rachel. New map of Pluto reveals a 'whale' and a 'donut'. The Washington Post. 14 July 2015. 8 July 2015. 27 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190527073230/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/07/08/new-map-of-pluto-reveals-a-whale-and-a-donut/. live.
  9. News: Feltman. Rachel. New data reveals that Pluto's heart is broken. The Washington Post. 14 July 2015. 14 July 2015. 15 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150715112003/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/07/14/new-data-reveals-that-plutos-heart-is-broken/. live.
  10. News: Achenbach. Joel. New Horizons reaches Pluto, sees complex terrain with 'great mounds'. The Washington Post. 14 July 2015. 14 July 2015. 14 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150714194909/http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/new-horizons-finally-makes-it-to-pluto-sees-craters-and-great-mounds/2015/07/14/9bcb0f04-2a1f-11e5-bd33-395c05608059_story.html. live.
  11. Web site: Orwig. Jessica. The first insanely close-up photos of Pluto reveal water on its surface. Business Insider. 15 July 2015. 15 July 2015. 9 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160509013704/http://www.businessinsider.com/the-first-insanely-close-up-photos-of-pluto-reveal-water-on-its-surface-2015-7. live.
  12. Marchis. F.. Trilling. D. E.. The Surface Age of Sputnik Planum, Pluto, Must Be Less than 10 Million Years. PLOS ONE. 11. 1. 20 January 2016. e0147386. 10.1371/journal.pone.0147386. 1601.02833 . 2016PLoSO..1147386T. 26790001. 4720356. free.
  13. Web site: Christopher. Crockett. Mission to Pluto: Live coverage: Sitting and speculating. Science News. 15 July 2015. 14 July 2015. 27 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160527142129/https://www.sciencenews.org/article/mission-pluto-live-coverage#heart. live.
  14. Web site: Pluto's icy heart controls its wind circulation: NASA study. 2020-02-05. Deccan Herald. en. 2020-02-05. 5 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200205123320/https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/plutos-icy-heart-controls-its-wind-circulation-nasa-study-801735.html. live.
  15. Web site: When Pluto's frozen heart beats, it creates wind. Ashley. Strickland. CNN. 4 February 2020. 2020-02-05. 20 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240520014203/https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/world/pluto-frozen-heart-wind-scn/index.html. live.
  16. Web site: Pluto and Charon Dazzle with Diversity . Kelly Beatty . Popular Mechanics . 2015 . 16 July 2015 . 20 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150720185738/http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/pluto-and-charon-dazzle-with-diversity-07162015/ . live .
  17. Web site: Pluto Features Given First Official Names. NASA. 7 September 2017. 7 September 2017. 17 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170917030324/https://www.nasa.gov/feature/pluto-features-given-first-official-names/. dead.
  18. Web site: 8 July 2015 . NASA's New Horizons: A "Heart" from Pluto as Flyby Begins . 15 July 2015 . NASA . 3 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190403195019/https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-new-horizons-a-heart-from-pluto-as-flyby-begins/ . dead .
  19. Web site: Does Pluto's bright spot look more like a heart or the Disney dog?. Bay News 9. Mike. Westfall. 14 July 2015. 16 July 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150716130338/http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2015/7/14/pluto_flyby_heart_or_dog.html. 16 July 2015.
  20. Web site: New Horizons Space Probe: Pluto Gets the Meme Treatment. ABC News. Alyssa. Newcomb. 14 July 2015. 16 July 2015. 15 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150715192914/http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/horizons-pluto-meme-treatment/story?id=32447208. live.
  21. Web site: The best Pluto memes. Well done, internet. BBC. 15 July 2015. 16 July 2015. 18 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150718020544/http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/33535721/the-best-pluto-memes-well-done-internet. live.
  22. Disney . Disney. 621040374744752130 . 14 July 2015 . Oh, boy! There's no pup more stellar than Pluto. . 16 July 2015 .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tombaugh Regio".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.