Surface compositions across Pluto and Charon

W M Grundy; R P Binzel; B J Buratti; J C Cook; D P Cruikshank; C M Dalle Ore; A M Earle; K Ennico; C J A Howett; A W Lunsford; C B Olkin; A H Parker; S Philippe; S Protopapa; E Quirico; D C Reuter; B Schmitt; K N Singer; A J Verbiscer; R A Beyer; M W Buie; A F Cheng; D E Jennings; I R Linscott; J Wm Parker; P M Schenk; J R Spencer; J A Stansberry; S A Stern; H B Throop; C C C Tsang; H A Weaver; G E Weigle 2nd; L A Young; New Horizons Science Team

doi:10.1126/science.aad9189

Surface compositions across Pluto and Charon

Science. 2016 Mar 18;351(6279):aad9189. doi: 10.1126/science.aad9189.

Authors

W M Grundy¹, R P Binzel², B J Buratti³, J C Cook⁴, D P Cruikshank⁵, C M Dalle Ore⁶, A M Earle², K Ennico⁵, C J A Howett⁴, A W Lunsford⁷, C B Olkin⁴, A H Parker⁴, S Philippe⁸, S Protopapa⁹, E Quirico⁸, D C Reuter⁷, B Schmitt⁸, K N Singer⁴, A J Verbiscer¹⁰, R A Beyer⁶, M W Buie⁴, A F Cheng¹¹, D E Jennings⁷, I R Linscott¹², J Wm Parker⁴, P M Schenk¹³, J R Spencer⁴, J A Stansberry¹⁴, S A Stern⁴, H B Throop¹⁵, C C C Tsang⁴, H A Weaver¹¹, G E Weigle 2nd¹⁶, L A Young⁴; New Horizons Science Team

Affiliations

¹ Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA. [email protected].
² Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
³ NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, USA.
⁴ Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.
⁵ NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.
⁶ NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA. Carl Sagan Center, SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
⁷ NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
⁸ Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, F-38000 Grenoble, France.
⁹ Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA.
¹¹ Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA.
¹² Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
¹³ Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA.
¹⁴ Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
¹⁵ Planetary Science Institute, Mumbai, India.
¹⁶ Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 28510, USA.

PMID: 26989260
DOI: 10.1126/science.aad9189

Abstract

The New Horizons spacecraft mapped colors and infrared spectra across the encounter hemispheres of Pluto and Charon. The volatile methane, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen ices that dominate Pluto's surface have complicated spatial distributions resulting from sublimation, condensation, and glacial flow acting over seasonal and geological time scales. Pluto's water ice "bedrock" was also mapped, with isolated outcrops occurring in a variety of settings. Pluto's surface exhibits complex regional color diversity associated with its distinct provinces. Charon's color pattern is simpler, dominated by neutral low latitudes and a reddish northern polar region. Charon's near-infrared spectra reveal highly localized areas with strong ammonia absorption tied to small craters with relatively fresh-appearing impact ejecta.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.