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Posted: |
Jul 14, 2015 - 8:55 AM
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By: |
Grecchus
(Member)
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Now you put it that way, Sol, I can see it. That's at least two major, but non-destructive impact events. Pluto may be ugly, however, it sure is interesting. And we've only seen a little over half it's total surface area. Yeah, it looks like a snowball, albeit a very large one, has gone "splat" across the surface. The direction, as you say, is broadly from left to right, maybe pointing a bit towards the equatorial band. It does look like the surface has rippled and compressed, causing the ridging from the effects of the shock-wave. The material seems to have spilled onto Pluto's surface as though it were cleaved somewhere along the impact point, because some of the spillage goes over the equatorial band in a more southerly direction. What if a comet hit? If there is an atmosphere surrounding Pluto it would get denser closer to the surface, right? What happens if a fast moving ball of ice creates a bow-shock wave that compresses and heats up the atmosphere through which it is moving? That would tend to de-solidify it to some extent and could explain why the impact crater which a more solid ball of rock would leave behind can't be seen. Or, maybe there is a crater but it's been filled in by ice and gradual surface weathering has smoothed it all over?
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Since you're all over this, Solly, I'll ask you. What's the poop on Pluto? Standard Planet? Dwarf? Semi-dwarf? Is it now "less-than" and hence a topic for man-ful types to defend heroically or crush cruelly?
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