Posted on 01/23/2007 10:24:01 AM PST by Moseley
Global Warming on Pluto Puzzles Scientists By Robert Roy Britt Senior Science Writer posted: 09 October 2002 01:25 p.m. ET
In what is largely a reversal of an August announcement, astronomers today said Pluto is undergoing global warming in its thin atmosphere even as it moves farther from the Sun on its long, odd-shaped orbit.
Pluto's atmospheric pressure has tripled over the past 14 years, indicating a stark temperature rise, the researchers said. The change is likely a seasonal event, much as seasons on Earth change as the hemispheres alter their inclination to the Sun during the planet's annual orbit.
They suspect the average surface temperature increased about 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit, or slightly less than 2 degrees Celsius.
Pluto remains a mysterious world whose secrets are no so easily explained, however. The warming could be fueled by some sort of eruptive activity on the small planet, one astronomer speculated.
The increasing temperatures are more likely explained by two simple facts: Pluto's highly elliptical orbit significantly changes the planet's distance from the Sun during its long "year," which lasts 248 Earth years; and unlike most of the planets, Pluto's axis is nearly in line with the orbital plane, tipped 122 degrees. Earth's axis is tilted 23.5 degrees.
Though Pluto was closest to the Sun in 1989, a warming trend 13 years later does not surprise David Tholen, a University of Hawaii astronomer involved in the discovery.
"It takes time for materials to warm up and cool off, which is why the hottest part of the day on Earth is usually around 2 or 3 p.m. rather than local noon," Tholen said. "This warming trend on Pluto could easily last for another 13 years."
Stellar observations
The conclusion is based on data gathered during a chance passage of Pluto in front of a distant star as seen from Earth. Such events, called occultations, are rare, but two of them occurred this summer.
In the occultations, which are like eclipses, astronomers examined starlight as it passed through Pluto's tenuous atmosphere just before the planet blotted out the light.
The first occultation, in July, yielded limited data because of terrestrial cloud cover above key telescopes. Marc Buie, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory, scrambled to observe the event from northern Chile using portable 14-inch (0.35-meter) telescope. Afterward, Buie said he was baffled by what seemed to be global cooling of Pluto's atmosphere punctuated by some surface warming.
Then on Aug. 20, Pluto passed in front of a different star. The latter event provided much better data captured by eight large telescopes and seems to clarify and mostly reverse the earlier findings.
The results were compared to studies from 1988, the last time Pluto was observed eclipsing a star.
James Elliot of MIT led a team of astronomers who coordinated their observations and presented the findings today at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society's (AAS) Division for Planetary Sciences in Birmingham, Ala.
Elliot said the Aug. 20 occultation was the first that allowed such a deep probing of the composition, pressure and the always-frigid temperature of Pluto's atmosphere, which ranges from -391 to -274 degrees Fahrenheit (-235 to -170 degrees Celsius).
Volcanoes on Pluto?
Elliot hinted at the possibility of another factor fueling Pluto's warming trend.
He compared Pluto to Triton, a moon of Neptune. Both have atmospheres made mostly of nitrogen. In 1997, Triton occulted a star and astronomers found that its atmosphere had warmed since the last observations were made in 1989 during the Voyager mission. Back then, Voyager found dark material rising above Triton, indicating possible eruptive activity.
"There could be more massive activity on Pluto, since the changes observed in Pluto's atmosphere are much more severe," Elliot said. "The change observed on Triton was subtle. Pluto's changes are not subtle."
There is no firm evidence that Pluto is volcanically active, but neither is there evidence to rule out that possibility. Even the Hubble Space Telescope can barely make out Pluto's surface.
Elliot added that the process affecting Pluto's temperature is complex. "We just don't know what is causing these effects," he said.
Let's go there
Elliot and others believe this poor understanding of our solar system's tiniest planet is grounds for sending a robot to investigate. Pluto is the only planet not visited by a spacecraft.
NASA has shelved a mission that would explore Pluto and the Kuiper Belt of frozen objects in which it resides.
Congress, however, appears to view the mission as worthy of some funds. A House budget panel this week followed the lead of the Senate in approving $105 million for the mission. If final approval comes, NASA would be compelled to undertake the project.
Interestingly, while Pluto's atmosphere has been growing warmer in recent years, astronomers have argued that a Pluto mission must launch by 2006, lest it miss the opportunity to study Pluto's atmosphere before it completely freezes out for the winter.
Tentative mission plans call for a robotic probe that would not reach Pluto for several years, making a flyby sometime prior to 2020 prior to investigating other objects deeper in the solar system.
Meanwhile, astronomers are looking forward to a space telescope called SOFIA, slated to begin operations in 2004. SOFIA will carry an instrument designed specifically to observe occultations and is expected to be employed when Pluto passes in front of other stars in coming years.
The Pluto observations this summer were funded by NASA, the Research Corporation and the National Science Foundation. Observations were made using the telescopes at the Mauna Kea Observatory, Haleakala, Lick Observatory, Lowell Observatory and the Palomar Observatory.
Well, what's the one common factor all planets in this solar system share?
THE SUN!
Shadow vessel waking up?
It is considered a dwarf planet along with about 8 others in our solar system.
The only problem with finding actual facts debunking Global Warming is the UN and the Globalists have 550 TRILLION DOLLARS riding on this over the next 20 years. That's a lot of motivation to keep this as a real issue.
This stinks. Guess we'll be told what we can drive, how far we can go, what we must recycle, how much we can purchase and so on, else pay a tax on any overages. Can't wait. This will tank an economy faster than socialism.
I remember a movie I saw once (I can't remember which- sorry) In which a government overthrow took place, and one of the first things they did in the movie was shoot all the college professors- It puzzled me then (I was young and naive) but now I completely understand why.
college professors HAVE TO BE involved in mutual admiration society and promoting only those who think like them.
where does the 550 Trillion figure come from?
This is a 2002 article. Here's a short little follow-up piece from Discover:
"Pluto, the coldest and most distant planet in the solar system, is getting a dose of global warming. In 1989 it reached its closest point to the sun, causing bits of its icy surface to evaporate into a slight atmosphere. Last summer, Pluto passed directly in front of two stars, allowing two teams of astronomers to study this tenuous shroud of gas. Observations of the distorted starlight showed that Pluto’s nitrogen-rich atmosphere—although still frigid with temperatures between -274°F to -391°F, depending on the altitude—is distinctly warmer than it was when last observed in 1988. The atmospheric pressure has doubled, too. Since the planet has been moving away from the sun for the past 14 years, the results come as a surprise. “The most likely explanation is thermal lag,” says MIT astrophysicist James Elliot, one of the team leaders. “On Earth, the days are longest in the northern hemisphere near the end of June, but the hottest month is July. Similarly, Pluto may not reach maximum surface temperature until a decade or so from now.” Astronomers hope they will be able to get a close view of Pluto’s enigmatic environment before things cool down and the atmosphere begins to collapse. Despite constant threats from budget-slashing administrators, NASA’s New Horizons mission is on schedule for launch in 2006, with a Pluto flyby anticipated for 2015."
So I'd say weren't not responsible. Neither is the Sun.
Duh. It's the Sun.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1772352/posts
How about Mars?
Yes, Pluto was "de-planetized." It just heard the news, and it's steamed.
The irregular orbit of Pluto causes seasons. The fact that it is heating up as it moves away from the Sun is no more surprising than the fact that temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere tend to be colder in January than in December.
But what's this about Mars heating up?
We share a little more in common than just the sun. Our solar system is moving through the galaxy as a unit. That transit has a period around 26,000 years. The solar system as a unit experiences influences from its surroundings. The periodic changes we can measure in ice and volcanic flows are earth are likely measurable in similar fashion on other planets in our solar system.
There is a lag between light and heat. The June/July observation is an example of how it happens on earth. The lag time may be longer for Pluto. The orbit is different.
bump
"Global warming that is occurring throughout the solar system must be caused BY THE SUN, not by man.
Global warming is also occuring on Mars and on Neptune's Moon Triton"
__________________________________________________________
I've been sayin' that for about 2 years now. It's not caused by cow farts or tail pipe emissions.
The answer is out on the web. It's there if ya know what to look for.
....and no, I'm not tellin.
"It takes time for materials to warm up and cool off, which is why the hottest part of the day on Earth is usually around 2 or 3 p.m. rather than local noon," Tholen said. "This warming trend on Pluto could easily last for another 13 years."
And is why the shortest day of the year in the Nothern Hemisphere is 21 December, but the coldest tempratures aren't until mid January.
The same is true in the Summer. June 21 is the longest day of the year, but the heat doesn't really come on until July.
So, explain to me, mr. Climatologist, how my SUV is responsible for UNIVERSAL WARMING?
"We share a little more in common than just the sun. Our solar system is moving through the galaxy as a unit. That transit has a period around 26,000 years. The solar system as a unit experiences influences from its surroundings. The periodic changes we can measure in ice and volcanic flows are earth are likely measurable in similar fashion on other planets in our solar system."
...you're on the right track.
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