As the New Horizons spacecraft passed by Pluto at a rate of 31,000 mph, the craft took pictures of the dwarf planet and its findings are pretty incredible. One of those findings includes an observation of what seems to be POW! Actually, the apparent snow would probably be the worst boilerplate, hard-pack snow you’ve ever dreamed of. However, there is snow on Pluto nonetheless. And not just that, according to NASA reports, there appear to be mountains on the icy dwarf as well.
“Asked multiple times, Stern admitted that it sure looks like it snows on Pluto. But team member Fran Bagenal joked that it wouldn’t be a good place for skiing because the snow would be too hard-packed.”- Astronomy Magazine
Facts about the New Horizons Trip to Pluto
- 9 Billion Mile Trip (Just One Way)
- 9 ½ year long trip to Pluto
- Traveled at speeds around 31,000 mph
- New Horizons Spacecraft Arrived 72 seconds early
- Missed its optimal arrival target by only 45 miles (considering the 2.9 Billion mile trip that’s pretty… pretty good)
In the coming days, New Horizons will transmit even more data back to Earth, which may include higher resolution pictures of mountains and snow on Pluto.