On Charon discovered a mysterious young crater

Analyzing the new batch of data from the station New Horizons, the scientists found on Charon - Pluto's largest moon - the mysterious crater ammonia. In addition, NASA received a picture crescent dwarf planet. This was reported on the agency's website.

Station New Horizons discovered probably the youngest crater on Charon. He got the name of the Authority and rich frozen ammonia. In 2000, scientists using the Hubble telescope observed on Charon ammonia, but not in such large concentrations.

In the photo provided by NASA, are located next to two identical crater with a diameter of up to five kilometers each, one of which is rich in ammonia (marked in green) and the other (called Skywalker) - no.

The reasons for this difference are not clear to scientists. Experts agree that the first crater appeared relatively recently and is the youngest of Charon. In addition, the researchers point out that ammonia can act as antifreeze and provide cryovolcanism (in the form of eruptions of water and ammonia) on the satellite dwarf planet. Another hypothesis is that the ammonia could be recorded on a satellite falling on its surface asteroid.

A composite picture of the crater obtained July 14, 2015 at a distance of 81 thousand kilometers from Charon using the tool Ralph / LEISA. Image resolution up to five kilometers per pixel. On Earth, these data came on October 1-4. Other data on the crater were obtained using a tool LORRI (Long Range Reconnaissance Imager) and reached the Earth on October 5-6.

Snapshot Crescent received scientific instrument MVIC (Multi-spectral Visible Imaging Camera) from a distance of 18 thousand kilometers away from the dwarf planet. It is made of 14 July 2015 in 15 minutes after closest approach to Pluto station.

The picture, taken at the world in September and treated, noticeable atmospheric haze rocky landscape and profiles of the dwarf planet. On the illuminated side of the plateau much Sputnik, which adjoin the mountain height of 3.5 kilometers, including mountain regions Tenzing and Hillary.

Space probe New Horizons beginning September 5 2015 peak phase of the data obtained on the main stage of research, on 14 July this year, during the next flyby of Pluto and its moons. On the transfer of multiple gigabytes of data will take about a year.

The station is located at a distance of more than 5 billion kilometers from the Earth. It is expected that in 2019 it will reach planetoid 2014 MU69, at a distance of 1.6 billion kilometers from Pluto in the Kuiper belt. This object can send New Horizons after the dwarf planet. The mission of New Horizons is expected to complete in mid-2020s.

The main objective of New Horizons is the study of Pluto and its moon Charon. Scientific equipment installed on it, designed to collect data about the possible presence of the magnetosphere from the dwarf planet, its atmosphere, composition and structure of the surface, as well as on cooperation with Charon.