The Solar System - Word Search - PUZZLE #32 PLUTO - August 2025

PUZZLE #32 - PLUTO 

IN-CONTEXT WORD DEFINITIONS

Icy: Pluto's surface is covered with various types of ice, predominantly nitrogen ice, with smaller amounts of methane and carbon monoxide ice. This means Pluto is extremely cold, and liquid water is unstable on its surface.

Nitrogen: Nitrogen ice makes up over 98% of Pluto's surface ice and is the primary component of its thin atmosphere. The sublimation (evaporation) of nitrogen ice on Sputnik Planitia is believed to drive winds and atmospheric circulation on Pluto.

Methane: Methane is the second most common gas in Pluto's atmosphere and is also present as ice on its surface. Methane plays a crucial role in heating Pluto's atmosphere, acting as a greenhouse gas.

Flyby: A flyby refers to the close approach of a spacecraft, like the New Horizons probe, to a celestial body such as Pluto. The New Horizons mission performed a flyby of Pluto in 2015 to gather scientific data.

Tombaugh Regio: This is the informal name given to Pluto's large, heart-shaped region. Its bright, highly reflective surface is attributed to the presence of nitrogen ice. It is also known as "Pluto's heart".

Sputnik Planitia: This is a vast, smooth, craterless plain located in the western lobe of Tombaugh Regio. It is primarily composed of actively convecting nitrogen ice, which may play a role in Pluto's geology and climate. It is possibly a basin formed by a giant impact, later filled with nitrogen ice.

Cryovolcanoes: These are ice volcanoes that erupt a slush of ice and water, rather than molten rock. Evidence of relatively recent cryovolcanic activity on Pluto, such as Wright Mons, suggests that Pluto has more internal heat than previously thought.

Pluto: In this context, Pluto refers to the dwarf planet itself. It is the second-largest dwarf planet in the Solar System, orbiting in the Kuiper Belt. Once considered the ninth planet, it was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.

Rotation: Pluto rotates on its side with an axial tilt of 57 degrees. One day on Pluto takes about 153 hours. Pluto's rotation is tidally locked with its largest moon, Charon, meaning they always show the same face to each other.

Secret Word: Pluto's surface temperatures range from -387 to -369 Fahrenheit (-233 to -223 Celsius), making it one of the coldest large bodies in the Solar System. This extreme cold is due to its great distance from the Sun, causing surface ice to sublimate and cool the atmosphere.