In the late hours of the night, most people on Earth drift into peaceful dreams, but in the vast universe, there lies a planet that harbors terrifying horrors. This is Pluto, a lonely and mysterious world with extreme environments that humans cannot even fathom at its surface temperatures.
Confronting the Extremely Low Temperatures on Pluto
Pluto, a distant and mysterious planet located at the edge of the Solar System, is considered one of the coldest objects in our Solar System, with surface temperatures maintained at around -230 degrees Celsius year-round.
In stark contrast to the warm and pleasant climate on Earth, the extremely low temperatures of Pluto create a unique and harsh environment for this celestial body. It would be difficult for any living organism to survive under such conditions, and even water cannot exist on the surface of Pluto. Its atmosphere is very thin, primarily composed of nitrogen, methane, and other gases, providing almost no suitable environment for life.
The extremely cold environment of Pluto is so terrifying that even the hardiest life forms on Earth cannot survive here. However, while it instills endless fear in humans, it also stimulates curiosity and the desire for exploration. (Image: Zhihu)
On this chilly celestial body, everything appears desolate and barren. The surface of Pluto is made up of frozen nitrogen and methane, forming a glacier that stretches for thousands of miles. These gigantic ice formations along the planet’s surface create various shapes, some resembling steep canyons, while others look like oddly shaped hills, capturing every trace of the planet.
What is truly frightening about Pluto is not just the cold but also its eternal darkness. Due to Pluto’s distance from the Sun and the tilt of its orbit, the night on this planet can last for decades on Earth, while daylight lasts only for a few brief hours.
Scientists are working hard to uncover the true appearance of this mysterious planet through research with probes and satellites. They hope that through these efforts, they can reveal the secrets hidden behind Pluto and provide more insights for future space exploration. (Image: Zhihu).
Pluto is a completely dark world at night, devoid of stars, moons, or any light source to illuminate it. Except for the faint rays of sunlight during the day, there is virtually no other light that can penetrate the thick ice.
Besides the cold and darkness, the strong winds of Pluto also contribute to this terrifying world. Although Pluto’s atmosphere is relatively thin, it still generates strong winds. The surface terrain of Pluto is almost entirely unprotected, lacking mountains or an atmospheric shield to mitigate the impact of the wind. In this environment, any wind that moves across Pluto’s surface can easily blow away everything.
Before we can visit the harsh environment of Pluto in person, we can only imagine the scenery of this terrifying world through imagination and scientific exploration. (Image: Zhihu).
Unusually Cold Compared to Other Planets
The surface temperature of Pluto hovers around -230 degrees Celsius, a figure that is almost unimaginable. For comparison, the average surface temperature on Earth is around 15 degrees Celsius. In other words, Pluto is 25 times colder than Earth! This extreme low temperature makes Pluto one of the coldest planets in our Solar System.
There are two main reasons for Pluto’s unusually cold temperatures.
First, Pluto is very far from the Sun, causing solar radiation to be about 1/10,000 of what Earth receives. This means that Pluto’s surface has almost no energy supply to maintain warmth.
The horrifying surface temperature of Pluto poses a significant challenge to the existence of life. Such harsh conditions make terrestrial life nearly impossible on Pluto. Nevertheless, scientists continue to conduct in-depth studies on Pluto, attempting to find any microorganisms or other forms of life. (Image: Zhihu).
The second reason is that Pluto’s atmosphere is very thin. This is in stark contrast to Earth, where the atmosphere can retain heat to a certain extent. However, Pluto’s atmosphere is unable to absorb and store heat effectively, causing its temperature to continue to drop.
Additionally, the extremely low surface temperature of Pluto also arises from its material composition. Pluto’s surface is primarily composed of icy rocks, and these ice formations become extremely hard at low temperatures, unable to effectively absorb and store heat.
The unusually cold temperatures of Pluto provide us with a new perspective and deeper understanding of the vastness and diversity of the universe. In this cold world, we must continue to strive to illuminate the mysteries and unlock more possibilities for the future development of humanity. (Image: Zhihu).
Impact on Physical and Chemical Processes on the Planet
The low-temperature environment of Pluto has significant effects on the state, movement, and phase change processes of materials. Firstly, low temperatures transform most materials into ice, including various types of ice such as water ice, ammonia ice, methane ice, etc. The presence of these ices alters the mechanisms of material flow and geological changes on this planet, making them very different from those on other planets. For example, the magma flow on Pluto could consist of liquid nitrogen or methane, rather than magma similar to that on Earth.
Materials in the low-temperature environment move relatively slowly, as low temperatures reduce the average kinetic energy of atoms and molecules. This results in nearly non-existent atmospheric convection on Pluto, while climate and winds are primarily influenced by thermal radiation and weaker ion dynamics. (Image: Zhihu)
The low-temperature environment of Pluto also significantly impacts the rate of chemical reactions and equilibrium states. Under low-temperature conditions, the rate of chemical reactions slows down, and reaction kinetics control the reaction process. Many common chemical reactions are nearly irreversible at Pluto’s surface temperatures.
Low temperatures also alter the chemical stability and reaction pathways of substances. For example, under low-temperature and high-pressure conditions on Pluto’s surface, the structure of ice networks can change and catalyze certain chemical reactions, such as ice decomposition and gas condensation. These unique chemical processes provide valuable insights into the study of the material composition and evolution of the planet.
These unique material properties and reaction processes allow us to understand Pluto more comprehensively while providing crucial clues for studying the diversity of planets and planetary systems.
