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r4pt0r

By r4pt0r
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lajoswinkler

lajoswinkler

Posted
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Yeah, that seems to be on a good track. Sputnik planum might very well extend pretty deep like a mole in a skin.

What your model lacks are exotic ices. At high enough pressures, all expected inner temperatures will not be sufficient to turn it into a liquid.

phase.gif

Exotic ices (term reserved for water ice phases under enormous pressures) would cover the core. So first a relatively thin layer of normal ice, then liquid water, and then a thick layer of ice VII, X, XI encasing a mixture of ice XI (and perhaps other forms) and rock.

There can be enough tidal heating from Charon, so liqiuid ocean may possibly span more out. And beneath Sputnik Planum can be convective water current, so it can heat ices from below

No tidal heating can occur because they are tidally locked. The tidal bulge does not move.

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WinkAllKerb''

WinkAllKerb''

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JJwWTr8.jpg

t0 (shock ? @spock)

t1 (internal pressure & then ) blurp (volume/pressure ratio %%) @ closest surface weakness and/or thickness

t2 surface spreading + side corrosive (more or less) underground(/?/residual) spreading

t3 whirlpool in//out more or less around other big shock center

( / materials compression center // border %weakness aftershock at first related)

t4 ?

hum hum hum !?! ("could" also tend to mean that sputnik planum is an older shock)

Edited by WinkAllKerb''
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lajoswinkler

lajoswinkler

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That is pretty much expected, yeah. Of course, reality is probably more complicated, but current models predict this situation, more or less accurate.

There is also a pretty high possiblity of liquid N2/CO/CH4 at some depths just about anywhere on Pluto. Complex solutions of cryogenic liquids might exist at equilibrium with their gaseous phases in the sealed caverns. It is entirely possible. However, the Sputnik planum does seem to be the richest deposit of those compounds.

The geologically dead areas (dark cratered ones) might extend deeper. The liquid water parts are probably highly variable in thickness.

The core is rocky, therefore contains silicates and metal. No reasons why there shouldn't be any nickel and iron as those are abundant.

Edited by lajoswinkler
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Spock1108

Spock1108

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So do you think there can't be nitrogen liquid lake under the sputnik planum, kept liquid by pressing the same planum and that helps the convection in the ice evidently semi-fluid?

Edited by Spock1108
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Frida Space

Frida Space

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This comparison between Titan (left) and Pluto is mindblowing IMHO. Both worlds are dominated by hydrocarbons and tholins. Relative sizes are correct. Comparison by Emily Lakdawalla.

20150724_titan_pluto_comparison.png

Also by Emily, this incredible Pluto mosaic.

20150725_pluto_mosaic_forweb.png

And from Jason Perry, this:

CKIPfhVUsAAb4Lq.png:large

We should have received so far all of the yellow and purple frames, which are the 7 frames used to create the mosaic above by Emily. This fall we should get 8 more high res frames (the red ones), however it appears only 5 (the 4 ones above and 1 at the bottom) will show the surface.

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lajoswinkler

lajoswinkler

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So do you think there can't be nitrogen liquid lake under the sputnik planum, kept liquid by pressing the same planum and that helps the convection in the ice evidently semi-fluid?

The opposite. I do think there could be something like that, although it would not be pure liquid phase. Only water and a handful of other compounds and elements exibit the anomaly of solid phase being less dense than the liquid phase so you get ice floating on a lake and fishes below it.

I'd expect slushy material, perhaps more solid with pores through which liquid is draining like our water drains through rocks. When it reaches upper layers by very slow convection, pressure there not enough to keep any liquid so it partially freezes and partially solidifies. Gas finds its way up, and the solid makes a crust.

Gold as well?

Absolutely. There is no reason why it would be any different from other cores. It came from the same primordial material. Gold, uranium, thorium, lead, iridium, you name it.

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WinkAllKerb''

WinkAllKerb''

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strength_of_materials & after constraint overall shape, brightness/mirroring ... mostly yup

ex: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Failed_Concrete_Cylinder.jpg/1920px-Failed_Concrete_Cylinder.jpg

Buy-gold-bullion.jpg

and if not gold metallic @high ratio probably ... salomon ... salomon ...

Edited by WinkAllKerb''
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Woksaus

Woksaus

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There has been talk of Pluto shedding its atmosphere. It made me wonder whether Charon recaptures any of that, or that is really just dissipates away like with any other single planet.
It might be that it captures some of the 'stickier' organic molecules, but I don't see it capturing any nitrogen.

And it has also been postulated that some of the atmosphere might be condensing onto Pluto itself, leading to decrease in atmospheric, so it might not be that all of it just flies away.

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Frida Space

Frida Space

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There has been talk of Pluto shedding its atmosphere. It made me wonder whether Charon recaptures any of that, or that is really just dissipates away like with any other single planet.

Yes, Pluto loses 500 tons of N2 every hour due to hydrodinamic escape, according to New Horizons' preliminary data. A lot of papers suggested Charon might collect some of that material and have a transient atmosphere, however the occultation data (again, it's preliminary data) suggests no atmosphere whatsoever. However, we're going to have to wait for the spectral data to confirm that. Also, many scientists think that Mordor (Charon's reddish polar cap) is a thin veener due to volatiles coming from Pluto, freezing onto Charon's coldest spots and being chemically transformed into non-volatile tholins. So even if Charon really had no atmosphere, not even a transient one, that wouldn't mean there can't be an exchange of material between Pluto and Charon.

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kurja

kurja

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Well, we're already close enough that we'd have seen his mountain if it existed. Wonder if he'll acknowledge that at all.

EDIT: The associated twitter account is still active, and he claims we actually have. Looks very much like an astronomy version of the infamous David Peters.

the twitter account appears to have vanished.... :rolleyes:

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