Southwest Research Institute

New Capabilities

As of September 2026: Leads New Horizons science and authored the study

Pluto's surface was supposed to be inert. New analysis of New Horizons imagery reveals dark streaks on Sputnik Planitia, the huge nitrogen glacier, that look like liquid nitrogen recently flowed across the ice. It is the first evidence that liquid has moved across Pluto's surface in the modern era.

Updated Sep 17