Pluto's Red Patches Are Mystifying Scientists A new study suggests there's more to the dwarf planet's rust. New Horizons scientists combined the latest black and white map of Pluto's surface features (left) with a map of the planet's colors (right) to produce a detailed color portrait of the planet's northern hemisphere (center). Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI What color is Pluto? The answer, revealed in the first maps made from New Horizons data, turns out to be shades of reddish brown.
Although. In this video, we dive into: The stunning NASA images that revealed Pluto's red stains Why these mysterious colors exist and what they tell us about Pluto's geology How organic chemistry on. Thanks to the New Horizons mission, which conducted the first detailed study of Pluto in 2014, we know that Pluto's color is rather diverse, with patches of white, yellow and reddish.
Pluto's surface has three primary color hues: red, white, and blue. This is due to the complex chemistry of its icy terrain and atmospheric processes. The red areas, such as Tombaugh Regio, are caused by tholins-complex molecules formed when ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun interacts with methane (CH₄) in Pluto's thin atmosphere.
The colour of Pluto depends on how you observe it, but New Horizons and Hubble have revealed the dwarf planet's rich typography and hues. One such fascinating fact about Pluto is that its snow is red in color. The notion of red snow may seem peculiar and raise questions about the possibility of life on this icy planet.
However, the reality behind Pluto's crimson snow lies in its unique atmospheric conditions and the presence of various chemical compounds. What makes Pluto red? NASA's New Horizons spacecraft spotted the signatures of ammonia in ice on the surface of Pluto, which might be responsible for turning parts of its surface red. In space.
New Horizons scientists combined the latest black-and-white map of Pluto's surface features with a map of the planet's colors to produce a detailed color portrait of the planet's northern. Delft University of Technology recreated Pluto's atmosphere in a lab and blasted them with plasma to know why there are huge red patches on the dwarf planet.