Pluto has EVENLY spaced huge dark spots!

a reply to: 3danimator2014

True it is pointless. But would be good to know anyway I don't know a lot about Pluto.

a reply to: abeverage

I would say that image is still a bit LOW-RES to be making any claims from.

I am with the poster who informed us that a certain megaton nuke on Earth would produce a 35 mile diameter blast-zone...

we can be real certain those are not craters...but only a debris field from a asteroid impact blast... the lower gravitation of Pluto together with the lack of a dense atmosphere would likely cause a 300 mile diameter fallout pattern that was for all accounts a very close to round to form...why dark circles... it is likely that either the asteroids pelting the dwarf planet were composed of high concentrations of hydrocarbons or Pluto itself has near surface hydrocarbons which eventually get covered by the annual methane snowfall---

blotting out the much older dark impact circles





ADD: noting the posts of: mem/EA006 & mem/Atlantican

a reply to: charlyv

Dark spots in a longitudinal direction could be impact blemishes from Pluto rotating under an incoming broken up comet or asteroid. Chain cratering on the Moon and Mars are similar to this, as well as what we saw when Jupiter was rotating under the incoming broken up comet, Shoemaker-Levy 9 .

This was my thought as well when I first saw the images.


star for u!

originally posted by: Darkblade71
a reply to: charlyv

Dark spots in a longitudinal direction could be impact blemishes from Pluto rotating under an incoming broken up comet or asteroid. Chain cratering on the Moon and Mars are similar to this, as well as what we saw when Jupiter was rotating under the incoming broken up comet, Shoemaker-Levy 9 .

This was my thought as well when I first saw the images.

star for u!

Sounds legit...the impact marks on Jupiter do support that theory i guess. Ive never seen any images of chain cratering on the moon or mars though...any links?

If those are impact craters (and they probably are) it is the size that impresses me. I think we can all agree that was a bad day on Pluto.

a reply to: 3danimator2014

No links.

Just after seeing shoemaker levy break up and smash Jupiter in multiple impacts was my first thought when I saw Pluto's dark spots. I was just pondering the very same question you just asked, as besides Jupiter I have not seen chain impacts anywhere else, so perhaps this will be a semi-rare event in the solar system we are discovering. If we find this on two planets, that would lead to the speculation that it is a somewhat common occurrence within the universe during comet strikes.

Which would make sense as gravitational pull between the sun and a planet should easily be able to break up something that is already loosely packed or cracked from millions of years of gravitational pull from and around the sun.

Just kind of a coffee fueled though.

originally posted by: howmuch4another
If those are impact craters (and they probably are) it is the size that impresses me. I think we can all agree that was a bad day on Pluto.

Good point. Must have been quite a sight. Ill never forget shoemaker-levy impacting Jupiter. Everyone was like "nothing will happen" "Jupiter is too big, it will just swallow the pieces up"...but then WOW!

This is interesting and strange, I'm sure there's a logical explanation. One that actually makes sense.

originally posted by: FeistyFemme
This is interesting and strange, I'm sure there's a logical explanation. One that actually makes sense.

yep, and i cant wait to see it...only 10 days...arghh. I feel like a kid waiting for xmas day

FWIW, a movie of the images:

www.nasa.gov...

If I didn't know any better, they almost look like shadows, but that wouldn't quite make sense..

a reply to: redtic
It could be that the moons pull is really strong and warping the surface.
If those are shadows, then the moon is creating some massive mountains through gravitational pull. The reason I suggest this is that those spots are at the same point as where the moon looks to be as it rotates. Or maybe it is the moons shadow some how?

It will be interesting to see it all closer up.

I was going with the chain impact idea, but based on www.nasa.gov... I think they're just random surface markings.

I think Pluto is some kind of gigantic space insect creature with four eyes.

originally posted by: charlyv
Dark spots in a longitudinal direction could be impact blemishes from Pluto rotating under an incoming broken up comet or asteroid. Chain cratering on the Moon and Mars are similar to this, as well as what we saw when Jupiter was rotating under the incoming broken up comet, Shoemaker-Levy 9 .

Well we are in for a Treat ! for Sharper Images wount we...

Pluto is Surly Bizzare Looking Highs and low Darks & Light

Atmosphere ? Serverly Damaged Chunks taken Out !

In this Blured Picture of its Rotation from Hubble

New Hubble Maps of Pluto Show Surface Changes

This is the most detailed view to date of the entire surface of the dwarf planet Pluto, as constructed from multiple NASA Hubble Space Telescope photographs taken from 2002 to 2003. The center disk (180 degrees) has a mysterious bright spot that is unusually rich in carbon monoxide frost. Pluto is so small and distant that the task of resolving the surface is as challenging as trying to see the markings on a soccer ball 40 miles away. Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Buie (Southwest Research Institute). Photo No. STScI-PR10-06a

www.nasa.gov...






www.nasa.gov...

The top picture was taken in 1994 by the European Space Agency's Faint Object Camera. The bottom image was taken in 2002-2003 by the Advanced Camera for Surveys. The dark band at the bottom of each map is the region that was hidden from view at the time the data were taken. Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Buie (

Nice if this was used in a WAY

a reply to: donktheclown

Yes, now if only Jupiter wasn't a gas giant and was actually a solid planet, maybe then "structures" and "excavations" could actually be possible!

I do love threads like this, with people making all kinds of outlandish suggestions about something they clearly know sod all about

a reply to: Rocker2013

That's all a part of the fun, getting the imagination going in anticipation of new knowledge!


Speculation is a fun thing!

a reply to: abeverage

I didn't see them expressed in the artist's rendering of the planet I'll wait for NASA to just paint pictures of what I am supposed to see, plus they are prettier.

originally posted by: abeverage
Ok this has got me wondering what could cause these evenly spaced dark spots?!? And what are they? This is going to be very, very interesting I think!

Each of the spots is about 300 miles in diameter

WOW!...

There is a part of me that goes oh there will be an natural explanation...and then there is the part of me that is why I am on ATS.

pluto.jhuapl.edu...

I am going to laugh myself silly if there are claims of a camera artifact...

Evenly spaced, as far you can tell from the blurry as image. So let's say, relatively evenly spaced dark spots. Things become a lot less mysterious whrn you ask the relevant questions and not bait people into thinking along the same lines as you.

originally posted by: darkbake
I think Pluto is some kind of gigantic space insect creature with four eyes.

NASA looking for new ways to Nuke Pluto Confirmed!