14 DAY TRIAL // Even though demoted from planetary status, Pluto is still arguably one of the most interesting bodies in the solar system, alongside its four moons. Recently, it became even more interesting, when researchers learned that its surface may contain complex organic molecules – the building blocks of life.
The research was conducted using the Hubble Space Telescope. The observatory noticed that the surface of the dwarf planet is absorbing a lot more ultraviolet light than it should. Experts behind the study interpreted these results as complex organic molecules absorbing these specific wavelengths.
Previous studies on the chemistry of Pluto's surface have revealed that it contains carbon monoxide, methane, and nitrogen, among other chemicals. It is now believed that the newly-found molecules are produced when subatomic particles from cosmic rays hit these ices, Space reports.
“This is an exciting finding because complex Plutonian hydrocarbons and other molecules that could be responsible for the ultraviolet spectral features we found with Hubble may, among other things, be responsible for giving Pluto its ruddy color,” Southwest Research Institute expert and study leader Alan Stern explains.
This and other issues will be illuminated in 2015, when the NASA New Horizons spacecraft is scheduled to reach the distant world.