US EditionNASA’s Webb telescope detects traces of carbon dioxide on the surface of Pluto’s largest moon
- NASA’s Webb telescope has detected carbon dioxide on Charon, which exists as a solid layer on its icy surface, per a statement from the Southwest Research Institute .
- Between 2022 and 2023, scientists utilized JWST’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph to obtain “full coverage” of Charon’s northern hemisphere to analyze light interaction.
- "The detection of carbon dioxide was a satisfying confirmation of our expectations,” says Silvia Protopapa, lead author and principal scientist at SwRI.
40 Articles
40 Articles
On Earth, hydrogen peroxide is produced artificially and used for disinfection. On Charon, it is probably produced by solar radiation. Astronomers have discovered other substances on the dwarf planet's moon.
Carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on Pluto's moon Charon
Astronomers have detected carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on the frozen surface of Pluto's largest moon, Charon, using observations from the James Webb Space Telescope. These discoveries add to Charon's known chemical inventory, previously identified by ground- and space-based observations, that includes water ice, ammonia-bearing species and the organic materials responsible for Charon's gray and red coloration.
Webb telescope detects carbon dioxide on Pluto's largest moon
Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected carbon dioxide on the frozen surface of Pluto's biggest moon, Charon, for the first time, research revealed on Tuesday. The discovery of CO2, along with another chemical hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), could shed light on the icy worlds in the mysterious outer…
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