Scientists Uncover the Mystery of the Red Color on the Moon of the Dwarf Planet Pluto

The New Horizons probe captured Charon in red.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — The moon belonging to the dwarf planet Pluto, Charon, has a red color at its north pole. Scientists initially thought the red stain (dubbed Mordor Macula) was methane captured from Pluto’s surface.

According to scientists, the red color occurs due to slow roasting under the sun’s ultraviolet rays. It is an idea that needs to be tested.

Now, scientists may find the answer to the mystery of the red color. A a mix of modeling and laboratory experiments have found this initial assumption not too far off the mark.

This research adds surprising new detail to our understanding of the relationship between Pluto and Charon, indicating there is more moon coloring than first seen.

Starting from New Horizons

At the time of its launch in 2006, the NASA space probe New Horizons gives researchers an unprecedented view of the dwarf planetary systems Pluto and Charon at a distance of more than 5 billion kilometers from the Sun.

“Before New Horizons, the best Hubble images of Pluto revealed only a hazy blob of reflected light,” said Randy Gladstone, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in the US. SciencealertWednesday (22/6/2022).

“In addition to all the interesting features found on Pluto’s surface, flyby reveals an unusual feature in Charon, a surprising red color centered on its north pole.”

The red above Charon might not be an unusual color to see in an iron-rich world like ours, or Mars. However, deep in the frozen periphery of the Solar System, the red color is more likely to indicate the presence of a diverse group of tar-like compounds called tholins.