Traces of the vast ocean on Pluto's moon

On Charon - the largest satellite (or moon) of Pluto - there may have been an ocean that covered the surface before it froze and expanded, causing the planet's crust to stretch and crack. .

Analyzing detailed images of the planet's surface from the New Horizon spacecraft, scientists from the US Aerospace Agency (NASA) said there is a system of fractures caused by being pulled away in the area. Equatorial area of ​​this moon.

The surface of the moon Charon, far away is Pluto.

According to photos taken from July 2015 at a distance of 78,700km, these cracks are up to 1,800 km long and many points have a depth of up to 7.5 km, many times more than the Grand Canyon fracture area in Arizona state of America with 446km length and depth of only 1.6km. These are also the longest fractures ever observed in the Solar System.

Based on the analysis, scientists believe that millions of years ago, when Charon was in a young age, the surface layer of this moon was kept warm by the decay of radioactive particles as well as specific heat. of this planet during the formation period.

These factors caused the ocean water to cover Charon's surface from freezing. However, over time, as Charon faded away, the ocean froze and expanded, stretching the surface of the planet and creating fractures today.

Pluto is a dwarf planet located at the edge of the Solar System, 5.8 billion km from the center. Charon is the largest of the five Pluto's natural satellites with a diameter of half that of this planet. According to scientists, many other moons in the Solar System still have subterranean oceans like Jupiter and Ganymede of Jupiter, and the Encaladus of Saturn. This is also where exploration ships are looking for signs of unicellular life forms.