Infinity & Beyond — Episode 16: Pluto's icy heart
Pluto’s icy “heart" is the distant world’s most recognizable feature. The region, composed of two distinct lobes, is shaped by what looks like a giant impact basin the size of Texas.
The heart’s western lobe, brought into clear focus by the New Horizon's spacecraft, consists of a 600-mile-wide (1,000 kilometers) ice plain called Sputnik Planitia, which is the largest glacier in the solar system.
Meanwhile, the eastern lobe of Pluto's heart is a sprawling region of highlands that holds many nitrogen-rich glaciers that extend into the basin.
In this week's episode of Infinity & Beyond, host Abigail Bollenbach will take you for a quick dive into Pluto's icy heart.
Stay up-to-date on the latest space and astronomy news at https://astronomy.com/news. And make sure to follow us on Facebook ( / astronomymagazine , Instagram ( / astronomy.magazine , and Twitter ( / astronomymag .