A first analysis of the continuously charged particles from sun gives an idea that Pluto behaves more like a comet than a planet. Also somewhat more like a planet Mars or Venus in the way the solar wind has interacted. Scientists observed the material comes from Pluto atmosphere and studied how it interacts with the solar wind, which gives another “Pluto Surprise”.
“This is a type of interaction we’ve never seen before anywhere in our solar system,” said David J. McComas, professor of astrophysical sciences at the Princeton University. There is no treasure trove of information about Pluto`s interaction with solar wind says the scientists.
Researchers considered the Pluto more as a comet. Also says it is like a car which is partially filled with gas and partially battery power, the Pluto is also a hybrid.
“These results speak to the power of exploration. Once again we’ve gone to a new kind of place and found ourselves discovering entirely new kinds of expressions in nature,” added Alan Stern, New Horizons’ principal investigator.
Scientists thought that Pluto may not be strong enough to hold heavy ions as it is far away from Sun. “Pluto’s gravity clearly is enough to keep material relatively confined”, McComas noted.
Scientists say that Pluto has a long ion tail extends at a distance about 118,700 km which is almost three times the circumference of the Earth that is loaded with heavy ions from the atmosphere with some considerable structures.
According to the recent study published in Journal of Geophysical Research Space gives clues to magnetized plasmas which one find around the stars.