An icy space rock collided with Pluto and jabbed a heart on its surface

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The mystery of a heart-shaped feature on Pluto's surface finally saw the light of the day. The curiosity over the existence of an unusual giant shape on the ex-planet has left many astronomers and scientists perplexed. But thanks to recent research by an international team of astrophysicists, the mystery of the heart on Pluto has finally been unravelled.

Astrophysicists at the University of Bern and members of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, is the first team ever to successfully produce the unusual shape with numerical simulations, which are the result of giant and slow oblique-angle impact.

The team of researchers investigated the origins of Sputnik Planitia, which is the western teardrop-shaped part of Pluto's heart surface feature. As per the research, Pluto's early history was marked by a cataclysmic event that formed the Sputnik Planitia, the western portion of the heart seen on Pluto. This was a collision with a planetary body about 700 km in diameter. The team also concluded the inner structure of Pluto is different from what was assumed previously.

When was the heart-shaped feature on Pluto discovered?

The unusual heart shape on Pluto was first discovered in 2015 when NASA's New Horizons mission spotted a large structure on the surface of the dwarf planet. Since then, it has puzzled scientists for not only its unique shape but also for its geological composition and elevation.

The heart shape on Pluto is scientifically known as the Tombaugh Regio which is covered in a high-albedo material that reflects more light than its surroundings, creating its white colour. However, the heart is not composed of a single element.

Take a closer look at the heart-shaped feature on Pluto

"The bright appearance of Sputnik Planitia is due to it being predominantly filled with white nitrogen ice that moves and convects to constantly smooth out the surface. This nitrogen most likely accumulated quickly after the impact due to the lower altitude," explains Dr Harry Ballantyne from the University of Bern, lead author of the study.

The eastern side of the heart is also covered by a similar but much thinner layer of nitrogen ice. Its origin is also not known but it is probably related to Sputnik Planitia.

"The elongated shape of Sputnik Planitia strongly suggests that the impact was not a direct head-on collision but rather an oblique one," points out Dr Martin Jutzi of the University of Bern, who initiated the study.

The team used the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) simulation software to digitally recreate such impacts, varying both the composition of Pluto and its impactor, as well as the velocity and angle of the impactor. These simulations confirmed the scientists' suspicions about the oblique angle of impact and determined the composition of the impactor.

"Pluto's core is so cold that the rocks remained very hard and did not melt despite the heat of the impact, and thanks to the angle of impact and the low velocity, the core of the impactor did not sink into Pluto's core but remained intact as a splat on it," explains Ballantyne.

The team's findings were recently published in Nature Astronomy.

(With inputs from agencies)

Riya Teotia

Riya is a sub-editor at WION and a passionate storyteller who creates impactful and detailed stories through her articles. She likes to write on defence tech

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