A Pluto Thermal Model
Abstract
The recent discovery of nitrogen on Pluto suggests that Pluto's volatile cycles may be similar to those on Neptune's moon Triton. Here, we report the first results of our efforts to apply a thermal model that we developed to study the seasonal nitrogen cycle on Triton to the case of Pluto. The model predicts volatile behavior as a function of time to calculate frost deposit depth, polar cap boundaries, temperature of the frost and substrate, and atmospheric pressure, assuming nitrogen frost deposits in solid-vapor equilibrium with nitrogen in the atmosphere.
- Publication:
-
Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
- Pub Date:
- March 1993
- Bibcode:
- 1993LPI....24..599H
- Keywords:
-
- Atmospheric Composition;
- Atmospheric Models;
- Cycles;
- Deposits;
- Environment Models;
- Nitrogen;
- Planetary Composition;
- Pluto (Planet);
- Pluto Atmosphere;
- Polar Caps;
- Solid Nitrogen;
- Thermal Analysis;
- Atmospheric Pressure;
- Mathematical Models;
- Lunar and Planetary Exploration