NASA scientists have announced the first discovery of evidence for the movement of liquid nitrogen on Pluto's surface.
AzEdu.az reports, citing foreign media, that the results were obtained based on a new analysis of data collected by NASA's New Horizons mission.
Researchers have identified traces of liquid nitrogen reaching the surface and flowing in Pluto's ice-covered region called "Sputnik Planitia."
According to scientists, this indicates that Pluto is geologically more active than we thought. Based on the research, liquid nitrogen forms under pressure beneath thick nitrogen glaciers and flows for a short period through cracks to the surface.
Experts state that it is not water, but nitrogen, which can turn into a liquid state at Pluto's extremely low temperatures. This discovery may allow for new information about the formation and evolution of icy celestial bodies located in the distant regions of the Solar System.
It should be noted that the New Horizons spacecraft passed by Pluto in 2015, sending the most detailed images and data of the dwarf planet ever obtained to Earth. Scientists obtained the new results during a re-analysis of that data.
