Spin of Pluto's moon Nix, illustrations. This set of illustrations of Pluto's moon Nix shows how the orientation of the moon changes chaotically and unpredictably as it orbits the Pluto-Charon system. The illustrations are based on a computer simulation which calculated the chaotic movement of the four smaller moons in the Pluto-Charon system. This was an attempt to understand the unpredictable changes in reflected light from Nix as it orbits Pluto-Charon. The simulation also indiacted that Pluto's moon Hydra undergoes a chaotic spin as well. The football-shape of both moons contributes to their wild motion. Illustrations published in 2015. | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / Nasa, Esa, M. Showalter (Seti Inst.), G. Bacon (Stsci) |
Bildgröße: | 3500 px × 2541 px |
Modell-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Eigentums-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Restrictions: | - |