Un oceano d'acqua dalla consistenza viscosa giace sotto l'intera superficie di Plutone. Gli indizi di questa presenza si trovano in un bacino di mille chilometri situato nella spianata a forma di cuore osservata sulla superficie del pianeta nano, la Sputnik Planitia, ritenuta dai ricercatori colma di ghiaccio.
Plutone nel sistema solare
La spiegazione — pubblicata sulla rivista Nature dalle Università dell'Arizona a Tucson e dall'Università della California a Santa Cruz — è stata formulata usando le
immagini della sonda
New Horizons della NASA. La tesi non è nuova, ma questi nuovi studi forniscono un'indagine più dettagliata sulle caratteristiche del pianeta e della sua evoluzione.
I ricercatori sostengono che la massa di liquido, tramite le forze di marea, è stata responsabile del riorientamento del pianeta nano (che ruota come una trottola su un fianco) e potrà esserlo di nuovo anche in futuro.
ATS/px
Per saperne di più: la pagina dell'articolo su Nature online
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