Nature Communications (Oct 2020)

Equatorial mountains on Pluto are covered by methane frosts resulting from a unique atmospheric process

  • Tanguy Bertrand,
  • François Forget,
  • Bernard Schmitt,
  • Oliver L. White,
  • William M. Grundy

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18845-3
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

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Pluto is covered by numerous deposits of methane. Here, the authors show that the formation of methane frost on mountain tops and crater rims in Pluto’s equatorial regions completely differ from those forming snow-capped mountains on Earth.