Uploaded September 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
NASA’s New Horizons mission revolutionized our knowledge of Pluto when it flew past that distant world in July 2015. Among its many discoveries were images of strange formations resembling giant blades of ice, whose origin had remained a mystery.
Now, scientists have turned up a fascinating explanation for this “bladed terrain”: the structures are made almost entirely of methane ice, and likely formed as a specific kind of erosion wore away their surfaces, leaving dramatic crests and sharp divides.
More info: nasa.gov/feature/ames/solving-the-mystery-of-pluto-s-giant-blades-of-ice
Video credit: NASA's Ames Research Center
NASA's Ames Research Center is located in California's Silicon Valley. Follow us on social media to hear about the latest developments in space, science and technology.
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NASA’s New Horizons mission revolutionized our knowledge of Pluto when it flew past that distant world in July 2015. Among its many discoveries were images of strange formations resembling giant blades of ice, whose origin had remained a mystery.
Now, scientists have turned up a fascinating explanation for this “bladed terrain”: the structures are made almost entirely of methane ice, and likely formed as a specific kind of erosion wore away their surfaces, leaving dramatic crests and sharp divides.
More info: nasa.gov/feature/ames/solving-the-mystery-of-pluto-s-giant-blades-of-ice
Video credit: NASA's Ames Research Center
NASA's Ames Research Center is located in California's Silicon Valley. Follow us on social media to hear about the latest developments in space, science and technology.
Facebook facebook.com/nasaames
Twitter twitter.com/NASAAmes
Instagram instagram.com/nasaames
