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 u

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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.

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Size: 3500px × 2541px
Photo credit: © NASA, ESA, M. Showalter (SETI Inst.), G. Bacon (STScI)/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, 9, 2015, array, artwork, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, chaos, chaotic, illustration, minor, moon, motion, nix, orbital, planet, planetary, pluto-charon, research, science, sequence, series, simulated, simulation, solar, space, spin, system