Pluto's Moon (Hydra) Coated in Nearly Pure Water Ice
Source: Discovery News
Pluto's Moon Coated in Nearly Pure Water Ice
MAY 9, 2016 12:25 PM ET // BY JASON MAJOR
Discovered in June 2005, Pluto’s outermost moon Hydra is thought to have formed four billion years ago during a massive impact event that created Pluto and Charon.
Despite its age, this 31-mile-wide moon appeared remarkably clean and bright in New Horizons images during the spacecraft’s historic close pass through the Pluto system in July 2015.
Scientists’ initial speculation was proved right when data from the spacecraft was analyzed and revealed that Hydra, like its name, is covered in nearly pure water ice.
Measured with the Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA) on New Horizons’ Ralph instrument, the spectral signature of water ice on Hydra is even stronger than that seen on Pluto’s much larger satellite Charon, indicating a surface coated with bigger ice particles and less dusty, dark material.
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Read more: http://news.discovery.com/space/plutos-moon-coated-in-nearly-pure-water-ice-160509.htm
[font size=1]Hydra imaged by New Horizons on July 14, 2015 from a distance of about 143,000 miles (231,000 km).[/font]
[font size=1]Spectral data gathered by New Horizons shows Hydra to be coated in a much more pure ice material than the larger Charon.[/font]
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