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Scientists have established that the mysterious shape is a shadow cast by the nitrogen formations on the plane.
BEACON TRANSCRIPT – The spacecraft New Horizon transmitted new data that shows mysterious activity detected on Pluto. There is much debate on what exactly can be seen on the images. Theories vary from alien life, to alien technology or some sort of geographical anomaly.
The images from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager that were transmitted to our planet on the 24th of December, show a strange figure in the center of Pluto’s heart, more precisely on the Sputnik Planum. The geographic location differentiates itself from the other landforms because of its lower altitude and the strange formations that can be found on it. The formations are in the shape of a polygon, with a width of 16 to 40 kilometers, with a center that is somewhat elevated, and rigid margins. The difference in height in the polygon structures can up to 100 meters.
The scientists that studied the mission report say that it is possible for the cells to stem from the thermal convection that takes place on the ices of the Sputnik Planum that are nitrogen-dominated. The solid nitrogen reservoirs are heated deep in the planet’s core. This leads to a rise of the material which causes a sort of splash that retreats once it hits the cold air. The process was compared by William McKinnon, leader of the Geophysics, Imaging and Geology team of the New Horizon project at the University of Washington in Saint Louis, with the activity of a lava lamp.
The team behind New Horizon has run computer simulations over the mysterious activity detected on Pluto and established that the strange X figure that can be seen in the photographs is likely a convection where several of these polygon-shaped landforms meet. The rigid margins that appear when the nitrogen cools down causing different shadows on the plain.
Of course, there are non-believers of such scientific explanations, true believers of life outside our solar system, well, in this case, just at the limit of our solar system.
While the explanation provided by the research team at the Washington University makes sense entirely, there are some who say that it makes too much sense. That the X-shaped figure is not a shadow, but rather a vehicle of some sorts, or even a sluggish life form that is nitrogen-based and can survive the harsh, cold, arid Sputnik Planum.
It makes take a while before we can receive other high-quality photographs that could explain the mysterious activity detected on Pluto. Until then, let’s leave the interpretation to the specialists.
Image source: www.geekwire.com
