The Mountains of Pluto Are Snowcapped, But Not for the Same Reasons as on Earth (IMAGE)
Caption
On Earth snow condenses at altitude because air dilates during ascending movements, and thus cools (at the rate of 1°C approximately every 100 m). On Pluto, methane ice forms on the peaks of mountains when they are high enough to reach upper atmospheric levels, which are hotter and rich in methane.
Credit
Tanguy Bertrand et al.
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