When I was a kid Pluto was a planet. It was stripped of planet status and now is called a dwarf planet. The Hubble telescope has found evidence of complex organic molecules on the surface of Pluto. That would certainly give Pluto fans reason to celebrate Pluto again since it’s not a planet any more.
The Hubble has found that some of the substances on the surface of Pluto are absorbing more UV light than was expected. The discovery hints that the compounds discovered on the surface of Pluto could be complex hydrocarbons or molecules containing nitrogen according to researchers. Fox News reports that Pluto is known to harbor different ices made of methane, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen on the surface.
According to the researchers, the UV absorbing chemicals could have been produced when sunlight or cosmic rays interacted with the different ices. It’s worth noting that the researchers say that Pluto’s UV spectrum has changed since it was measured with the Hubble in the 90′s compared to today.
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