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narrator:
throughout our solar system,
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scientists are discovering
exciting new worlds,
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Dwarf planets,
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♪♪
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they may be small,
but they are full of riddles,
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groundwater oceans
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ice volcanoes
and mountains that disappear,
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the whole idea
these dwarf planets are small
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and insignificant and boring
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just been broken
in recent years,
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narrator:the defenders of the dwarves challenge
many of the rules
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we think governed
our solar system,
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dwarf planets are
very interesting bodies
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scientifically,
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but beyond that,
they tell us something
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about the origin
of our own world,
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Believe it or not,
they can harbor life,
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Narrator: dwarf planets are
rattling the cages of scientists
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and shaking our understanding
of how the universe works,
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they may have fed
the first planets
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and even sow them
with the precursors of life,
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dwarf planets can be
the most important objects
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in the solar system,
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- subtitles by vitac -
www,vitac,com
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subtitles paid for
discovery communications
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♪♪
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our solar system has
eight large planets confirmed,
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but we're finding out
many other small worlds
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called dwarf planets,
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we used to think they were just
terrible pieces of stone,
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but the more we study them,
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the most shocking
and intriguing they become,
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braid: natively,
I would expect these objects
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not to be extremely dynamic,
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they're probably just, you know,
airless worlds, rocky and icy,
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and they're just sitting there,
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and what we're discovering is
That's not true,
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there are all kinds of things
going,
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♪♪
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Walsh: they are full worlds
with really interesting geology
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and interesting stories
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this can tell us a lot
about the solar system,
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narrator:
scientists believe there may be
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hundreds of dwarf planets
in our solar system,
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♪♪
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so far away,
we only identified six,
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five of them -
Pluto, with its moon, charon;
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Red colored sedna;
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eris clear and distant;
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makemake
and bean-shaped haumea -
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everyone lives billions of kilometers
of the sun,
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beyond Neptune
on the kuiper belt,
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they are just
the tip of the iceberg,
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there are probably many,
many more dwarf worlds
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that are out there
waiting to be discovered,
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narrator:
the sixth dwarf planet, ceres,
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lives in the inner solar system,
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it revolves around
260 million miles from Earth
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in the asteroid belt,
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♪♪
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the asteroid belt
is a region of the solar system
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between Mars and Jupiter,
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and that's where
most asteroids are,
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this is rubble
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left over from training
of the solar system,
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narrator:in the early years
of the solar system,
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small rocks collided with
each other, stuck together
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and built
the inner rocky planets,
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dwarf planets grew
in the same way,
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braid:ceres was actually
starting to get really big,
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was on the way
to become a planet
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before it stops growing,
and this makes
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Stand head and shoulders
above all there,
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♪♪
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Narrator: So why is it called
a dwarf planet and not a planet?
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To be a planet, it must mark
Three cosmic boxes,
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First, it needs to be a sphere,
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secondly, it needs to orbit
the sun and not another body,
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Thirdly, you need to clean your
orbital area of orbital debris,
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♪♪
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Narrator:ceres ticks
just two of the boxes,
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is a sphere,
but a small -
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just 600 miles across,
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That's the size of Texas,
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♪♪
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it orbits the sun, but has no
paved the way for debris,
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It's surrounded by asteroids,
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then miss it
in being a planet,
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oluseyi: although we call
these objects dwarf planets,
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small and dwarf
is not insignificant,
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Narrator: but being small
has its problems,
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when the core melts
of a young dwarf planet cools,
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as well as the thermal engine
which generates geological activity,
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♪♪
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Ceres, we thought, would be
basically, be a big, dead rock,
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♪♪
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It's a small body,
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should have
cooled down a long time ago,
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nothing very interesting
is happening,
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and when in fact
went out to ceres,
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nothing could have been
further from the truth,
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♪♪
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Narrator: March 2015, NASA's
the dawn probe arrives at ceres,
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thaller:like the dawn spaceship
pulled to ceres,
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we saw the craters and the
surface we expected to see,
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and suddenly,
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something totally mysterious
rotated into view,
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♪♪
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one of the craters
had two bright spots,
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almost like two eyes
looking back at us,
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♪♪
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Radebaugh: It was an enigma
for the scientific community
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because what are these?
doing here?
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Are they ice?
looks very fresh,
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What the hell could it be?
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♪♪
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narrator:
scientists find more than 100
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of these mysterious white dots,
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the largest is in a 50 mile range
crater called occator,
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♪♪
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they are, unexpectedly,
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composed of a substance
we found on earth -
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sodium carbonate
a kind of salt,
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♪♪
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Radebaugh:
we believe that salts are ceres
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like really very young,
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we think they are so young
4 million years old,
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and it's basically like
yesterday in terms of geology,
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and that's super weird, right?
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This is happening not in a sort of
in a geological era,
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It's happening now, today,
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♪♪
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narrator:
what could cause salt stains
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in a world long presumed dead?
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planetary geologist
jani radebaugh believes a clue
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can be found in mono lake
In California,
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Alright, I'm here looking at
this beautiful lake
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out of distance
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and standing
massive white deposits,
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these white deposits
used to be part of this lake,
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at one point,
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the lake had dissolved
many of the materials in it,
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and then, as he retreated,
left behind the materials,
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as it evaporated,
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and these things are,
you know, you leave,
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they are a little granular
in texture,
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and just to be sure,
we proved it
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and yes,
It's definitely salty,
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[whistle the wind]
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narrator:
the salt in mono lake
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crystallizes
as the water evaporates,
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the only way we can form,
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researchers believe
the same process
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is occurring on ceres,
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This means there must be liquid
water below the surface,
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♪♪
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, but how, deep down
freezing of the asteroid belt?
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these bright spots are located
in the centers of craters,
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they are located around
surface cracks,
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and this is telling us
that this material
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is coming from the surface
and exploding about it,
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♪♪
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thaller:
absolutely no one expected
there is liquid water
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under the surface of ceres,
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we can't explain
What's keeping the water warm,
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in some moons,
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gravitational pull
keeps interiors warm,
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but ceres isn't really close
Anything that is too big,
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so the incredible thing is that
maybe we can't even understand
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how rocky planets work,
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can be
another energy source,
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another mechanism
to heat the interior
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that not even
discovered yet,
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Narrator: to find out how you
has liquid water
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we must rewind the clock
4.6 billion years,
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remains left
of the formation of the sun
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shock
to form dwarf planets,
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as they take shape,
the heaviest and rockiest material
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sinks in the center
and forms a hot, molten core,
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ice water
floats at the top,
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for a while, it becomes liquid,
but once the core cools,
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freezes and forms
the solid mantle and crust,
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this surface
it must still be solid,
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then the salt patches
remains a perplexing mystery,
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we don't have it yet
answered the question,
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"How could I really
Is there still liquid water on Ceres? "
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is still
a difficult question to answer,
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One way this could happen if
in fact it is not pure water,
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if you mixed it
with something else,
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♪♪
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narrator:
some scientists have proposed
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than a salty ocean
lies beneath the surface,
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♪♪
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high salt concentration
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reduces freezing point
of water, keeping it liquid,
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♪♪
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when the asteroid affects
fractures the crust,
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this salt water
reaches from below below,
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the liquid quickly evaporates,
but the salt remains,
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leaving a bright white stain
on the surface,
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Radebaugh:
In fact, I'm willing to bet
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there may be water
arriving now,
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bringing salts
to the surface,
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evaporating into space
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and that means liquid water
it's very close
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on the surface of ceres
right now,
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Narrator:ceres has even more
surprising card up your sleeve,
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recent research suggests
who is an immigrant,
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didn't form anywhere near
the asteroid belt,
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Ceres may have been born
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alongside hundreds
from other dwarf planets
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many billions of kilometers
away from the sun,
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So how did you get here?
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♪♪
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Narrator: most
dwarf planets we discovered
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It's very far away in the solar system
beyond the orbit of Neptune,
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but certain orbits
between mars and jupiter
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in the asteroid belt,
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00:11:17,177 --> 00:11:20,245
but its location
It's not the only suggestion
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ceres could be an intruder,
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♪♪
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typically, celestial objects
are made from the same materials
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like other bodies
in their neighborhoods,
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but that's not the case
with ceres,
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♪♪
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the asteroid belt is mainly
composed of dry, rocky bodies
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composed of
the same heavy elements
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this way
the inner rocky planets,
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ceres is very different,
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Ceres is essentially
It's a cold world, right?
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is made ice cream
instead of rocks,
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and so it's kind of weird,
considering where you are,
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Narrator: the ice on ceres
also contains chemical compounds
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that in the early years
of the solar system,
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did not exist in
the asteroid belt,
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thaller:
the more we learn about ceres,
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the more mysterious it became,
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one of the things is that you
there is enough
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of ammonia,
and we didn't find ammonia
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anywhere near the inside
of the solar system,
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Narrator: but we found this
in the outer solar system,
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we detected ammonia on pluto,
is the charon of the moon,
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and in
the frozen Kuiper belt,
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where do we find
the other dwarf planets,
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Walsh: we think that the origin
that ammonia
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would have had to be in a
cold part of the solar system
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colder than
where do we find ceres today,
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Narrator: but like ice
dwarf planet with ammonia
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came to live in a place
where ammonia cannot form -
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This is a huge enigma,
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This suggests to us that you ceres
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maybe formed
in the outer solar system
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00:12:58,078 --> 00:12:59,944
and then migrated inside
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00:12:59,946 --> 00:13:04,882
to your current location
in the asteroid belt,
255
00:13:04,884 --> 00:13:06,951
batygin:
we used to think
256
00:13:06,953 --> 00:13:10,889
planetary orbits
were completely immutable,
257
00:13:10,891 --> 00:13:13,157
that they just
ran like clockwork
258
00:13:13,159 --> 00:13:14,826
and they didn't move,
259
00:13:14,828 --> 00:13:17,829
now we know that
That's not the case,
260
00:13:17,831 --> 00:13:20,298
in the early stages
of the formation of the planet,
261
00:13:20,300 --> 00:13:24,034
planets move
through the gaseous disk
262
00:13:24,036 --> 00:13:26,504
that surrounds the young sun,
263
00:13:26,506 --> 00:13:31,109
as well as the rafts that are
pressed by ocean currents,
264
00:13:31,111 --> 00:13:34,712
Narrator:ceres' ammonia
suggests that dwarf planets
265
00:13:34,714 --> 00:13:37,115
rafted around
in the cosmic ocean
266
00:13:37,117 --> 00:13:39,250
together with the young planets,
267
00:13:39,252 --> 00:13:42,921
ceres is kind of a smoking gun
that solar systems
268
00:13:42,923 --> 00:13:45,924
are much more dynamic
much more dramatic than we know,
269
00:13:45,926 --> 00:13:47,725
there is growing evidence
270
00:13:47,727 --> 00:13:49,794
what ceres formed
further into the solar system
271
00:13:49,796 --> 00:13:52,463
and something brought
this little world in
272
00:13:52,465 --> 00:13:54,665
what could it be
have you done this?
273
00:13:54,667 --> 00:13:59,803
♪♪
274
00:13:59,805 --> 00:14:02,673
narrator: the answer
is the planet Jupiter,
275
00:14:02,675 --> 00:14:04,341
after he graduated the first time,
276
00:14:04,343 --> 00:14:07,678
the giant planet migrated into
towards the sun,
277
00:14:07,680 --> 00:14:11,148
its massive gravity interrupted
the orbits of other bodies
278
00:14:11,150 --> 00:14:15,887
in the solar system,
including Ceres,
279
00:14:15,889 --> 00:14:20,357
braid:the solar system formed
of a disk of gas and dust,
280
00:14:20,359 --> 00:14:21,960
and when Jupiter formed,
281
00:14:21,962 --> 00:14:23,962
would have passed
this material,
282
00:14:23,964 --> 00:14:25,696
and if he rocks
this material,
283
00:14:25,698 --> 00:14:27,164
is suffering drag,
284
00:14:27,166 --> 00:14:29,833
as I was losing energy,
would start to move
285
00:14:29,835 --> 00:14:33,371
towards the sun
relatively slowly,
286
00:14:33,373 --> 00:14:37,574
narrator:ceres graduated from
outer edges of the solar system,
287
00:14:37,576 --> 00:14:39,911
was displaced
of the kuiper belt
288
00:14:39,913 --> 00:14:44,315
and pulled it in
by the migration of Jupiter,
289
00:14:44,317 --> 00:14:48,719
and when jupiter
stopped migrating, just like ceres,
290
00:14:48,721 --> 00:14:54,659
He settled into a new, stable
orbit in the asteroid belt,
291
00:14:54,661 --> 00:14:56,260
thaller:
once you realize
292
00:14:56,262 --> 00:14:58,529
that something strange
and dramatic can happen,
293
00:14:58,531 --> 00:15:00,798
that a dwarf planet can form
very far away in the solar system
294
00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:02,199
and be brought,
295
00:15:02,201 --> 00:15:04,935
makes you wonder how
many times that happened before,
296
00:15:04,937 --> 00:15:07,471
there could have been another
generations of dwarf planets
297
00:15:07,473 --> 00:15:09,073
that was released
towards the sun
298
00:15:09,075 --> 00:15:11,475
or maybe they were thrown away
of the solar system entirely?
299
00:15:11,477 --> 00:15:14,445
♪♪
300
00:15:17,016 --> 00:15:20,151
Narrator: scientists believe
what squadrons of rocks
301
00:15:20,153 --> 00:15:21,885
and icy dwarf planets
302
00:15:21,887 --> 00:15:24,889
may have entered
the solar system,
303
00:15:24,891 --> 00:15:26,690
hundreds presented,
304
00:15:26,692 --> 00:15:28,960
only one survived,
305
00:15:28,962 --> 00:15:31,229
oluseyi:
if there were a population
306
00:15:31,231 --> 00:15:32,696
of small dwarf planets
307
00:15:32,698 --> 00:15:35,299
in the outer solar system
that migrated inside,
308
00:15:35,301 --> 00:15:39,037
Ceres may be the only one
survivor, the only one left,
309
00:15:39,039 --> 00:15:41,639
Narrator: so, if you ceres
settled into his new home
310
00:15:41,641 --> 00:15:43,107
in the asteroid belt,
311
00:15:43,109 --> 00:15:46,844
where are the rest of the ice cream
worlds and the water on them?
312
00:15:46,846 --> 00:15:48,980
the idea that you
may have changed
313
00:15:48,982 --> 00:15:50,714
of the outer solar system
It's interesting,
314
00:15:50,716 --> 00:15:52,583
but why should it matter
for you?
315
00:15:52,585 --> 00:15:55,653
and incredibly, the answer
It can be inside your own body
316
00:15:55,655 --> 00:15:56,854
right now,
317
00:15:56,856 --> 00:15:58,722
for the longest time,
we ask ourselves
318
00:15:58,724 --> 00:16:01,526
where the majority
of Earth's water?
319
00:16:01,528 --> 00:16:03,261
when you think about
where the earth is,
320
00:16:03,263 --> 00:16:04,795
how close it is to the sun,
321
00:16:04,797 --> 00:16:06,464
there shouldn't have been
any water here,
322
00:16:06,466 --> 00:16:09,800
♪♪
323
00:16:09,802 --> 00:16:11,869
Walsh: understanding
the evolution of ceres,
324
00:16:11,871 --> 00:16:16,007
where did it form
to where we find it today,
325
00:16:16,009 --> 00:16:18,943
can also lead us to understand
how the earth can end
326
00:16:18,945 --> 00:16:21,746
with more water
than we expected to expect,
327
00:16:21,748 --> 00:16:23,814
narrator:
when the Earth was formed,
328
00:16:23,816 --> 00:16:26,617
it was too hot for the water
to exist on the surface,
329
00:16:26,619 --> 00:16:29,821
maybe the squads
of dwarf planets
330
00:16:29,823 --> 00:16:31,489
ended their journey,
331
00:16:31,491 --> 00:16:35,359
bathing with
pieces of stone rich in water,
332
00:16:35,361 --> 00:16:38,228
enough to fill Earth's oceans,
333
00:16:38,230 --> 00:16:41,232
thaller: incredibly, when we
study water chemistry
334
00:16:41,234 --> 00:16:44,969
this is the best combination
the water in your body now
335
00:16:44,971 --> 00:16:46,971
came from asteroids,
336
00:16:46,973 --> 00:16:49,507
asteroids and dwarf planets
that it rained
337
00:16:49,509 --> 00:16:52,710
and hit the earth
for billions of years,
338
00:16:52,712 --> 00:16:56,514
narrator:dwarf planets
may have brought something else,
339
00:16:56,516 --> 00:17:00,651
February 2017,
scientists announce
340
00:17:00,653 --> 00:17:03,521
the discovery
of organic materials
341
00:17:03,523 --> 00:17:05,389
on the surface of ceres,
342
00:17:05,391 --> 00:17:07,525
thaller:
on earth, life uses water
343
00:17:07,527 --> 00:17:10,328
and organic chemistry,
carbon-based molecules,
344
00:17:10,330 --> 00:17:12,796
the intriguing thing
about dwarf planets
345
00:17:12,798 --> 00:17:14,399
is that they have both,
346
00:17:14,401 --> 00:17:16,600
Pluto and Ceres
has organic molecules,
347
00:17:16,602 --> 00:17:18,602
there is liquid water
below the surface,
348
00:17:18,604 --> 00:17:21,272
there is a source of energy
It warms the inside,
349
00:17:21,274 --> 00:17:24,141
It's not absolutely impossible
that somewhere
350
00:17:24,143 --> 00:17:27,744
These icy, icy surfaces,
there could be life,
351
00:17:27,746 --> 00:17:30,882
narrator:other could
Do the dwarves of the planets host life as well?
352
00:17:30,884 --> 00:17:36,020
sedna and makemake
Both have red spots,
353
00:17:36,022 --> 00:17:38,956
the color comes from something
called tholins,
354
00:17:38,958 --> 00:17:43,427
organic molecules that could be
a precursor of life,
355
00:17:43,429 --> 00:17:46,297
based on all the interesting
chemistry they are doing,
356
00:17:46,299 --> 00:17:48,165
these dwarf planets
could be like
357
00:17:48,167 --> 00:17:49,533
the test tubes
of the solar system,
358
00:17:49,535 --> 00:17:53,437
♪♪
359
00:17:53,439 --> 00:17:57,108
if there are small bodies scattered
everything about the solar system
360
00:17:57,110 --> 00:17:59,977
that had liquid water or ice,
361
00:17:59,979 --> 00:18:02,446
could serve
like an incubator for life,
362
00:18:02,448 --> 00:18:03,981
just holding on,
363
00:18:03,983 --> 00:18:06,450
ready to hit on
Another body and seed it,
364
00:18:06,452 --> 00:18:08,652
durda:
the habitable zone now extends
365
00:18:08,654 --> 00:18:09,987
for the entire solar system,
366
00:18:09,989 --> 00:18:13,057
really expands -
it expands a lot -
367
00:18:13,059 --> 00:18:15,927
The stage for the game of life
across the galaxy,
368
00:18:15,929 --> 00:18:19,330
Narrator: maybe we have
dwarf planets to thank
369
00:18:19,332 --> 00:18:20,898
for our very existence,
370
00:18:20,900 --> 00:18:24,468
suddenly the smallest
Bodies in our solar system
371
00:18:24,470 --> 00:18:26,804
became some of the
the most interesting things
372
00:18:26,806 --> 00:18:28,139
we have already seen,
373
00:18:28,141 --> 00:18:32,009
narrator: the idea
of migratory dwarf planets
374
00:18:32,011 --> 00:18:35,479
open
some intriguing scenarios,
375
00:18:35,481 --> 00:18:39,350
including a
really out of the realm of possibility,
376
00:18:39,352 --> 00:18:42,487
some of that water
and organic material
377
00:18:42,489 --> 00:18:45,223
maybe it's not
of our solar system,
378
00:18:45,225 --> 00:18:48,759
♪♪
379
00:18:59,705 --> 00:19:02,940
♪♪
380
00:19:05,311 --> 00:19:08,913
narrator: the more we learn
about dwarf planets
381
00:19:08,915 --> 00:19:10,982
but they surprise us,
382
00:19:10,984 --> 00:19:13,918
♪♪
383
00:19:20,193 --> 00:19:22,193
but there is a dwarf planet
384
00:19:22,195 --> 00:19:24,862
whose very existence
It's a mystery,
385
00:19:24,864 --> 00:19:29,533
it is called sedna,
and no one is sure
386
00:19:29,535 --> 00:19:32,336
what are you doing
in our solar system,
387
00:19:32,338 --> 00:19:35,940
sedna can have my vote for
the single most peculiar object
388
00:19:35,942 --> 00:19:38,142
throughout the solar system,
389
00:19:38,144 --> 00:19:41,812
Here, we have a world that is
about 1,000 miles wide,
390
00:19:41,814 --> 00:19:47,285
but it's way too far in the
solar system,pathpast neptune,
391
00:19:47,287 --> 00:19:49,553
♪♪
392
00:19:49,555 --> 00:19:51,555
narrator:
sedna is the most distant object
393
00:19:51,557 --> 00:19:54,358
we identify
in our solar system,
394
00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:56,093
Walsh:stopped
the sedna surface,
395
00:19:56,095 --> 00:19:58,362
looking back
in the solar system,
396
00:19:58,364 --> 00:20:01,098
the sun would seem
a very bright star,
397
00:20:01,100 --> 00:20:03,501
but not much more than
a very bright star,
398
00:20:03,503 --> 00:20:06,637
♪♪
399
00:20:06,639 --> 00:20:08,639
narrator:
like Pluto,
400
00:20:08,641 --> 00:20:12,309
sedna has a stranger
elliptical orbit,
401
00:20:12,311 --> 00:20:16,380
the difference is,
sedna travels from 7 billion
402
00:20:16,382 --> 00:20:19,516
to 93 billion miles
of the sun,
403
00:20:19,518 --> 00:20:23,988
and unlike Pluto,
its orbit cannot be explained
404
00:20:23,990 --> 00:20:26,324
due to proximity
to Neptune,
405
00:20:26,326 --> 00:20:29,660
♪♪
406
00:20:29,662 --> 00:20:32,330
the strange thing about sedna
is your orbit,
407
00:20:32,332 --> 00:20:34,364
How could I have gotten
what an elliptical
408
00:20:34,366 --> 00:20:37,735
when it's so far
from any of the major planets?
409
00:20:37,737 --> 00:20:40,004
if you have an object
is close enough to Neptune,
410
00:20:40,006 --> 00:20:42,006
Neptune's gravity
can affect its orbit
411
00:20:42,008 --> 00:20:44,008
and swing it to
an elliptical orbit,
412
00:20:44,010 --> 00:20:47,411
The problem is that sedna never gets
that near Neptune,
413
00:20:47,413 --> 00:20:48,812
doesn't get anywhere
close enough
414
00:20:48,814 --> 00:20:50,214
to be in that kind of orbit,
415
00:20:50,216 --> 00:20:53,617
and that means something
There it is happening,
416
00:20:53,619 --> 00:20:56,621
♪♪
417
00:20:58,424 --> 00:21:00,691
Brown:
sedna cannot be explained
418
00:21:00,693 --> 00:21:02,359
using objects we know,
419
00:21:02,361 --> 00:21:04,161
everything else,
we can understand
420
00:21:04,163 --> 00:21:06,097
because that's where it is
based on, you know,
421
00:21:06,099 --> 00:21:08,699
the eight planets and many,
many other small bodies,
422
00:21:08,701 --> 00:21:10,767
sedna cannot be explained
therefore,
423
00:21:10,769 --> 00:21:13,371
and, you know, that's the sign
of a good mystery,
424
00:21:13,373 --> 00:21:15,706
something more
must have happened,
425
00:21:15,708 --> 00:21:18,375
♪♪
426
00:21:18,377 --> 00:21:20,778
braid: looking at models
for how you can change
427
00:21:20,780 --> 00:21:22,780
the orbits of objects,
there is almost no way
428
00:21:22,782 --> 00:21:25,516
sedna could have formed
in our solar system,
429
00:21:25,518 --> 00:21:28,653
and then there was a change of orbit
so that it is this elliptical
430
00:21:28,655 --> 00:21:30,588
and it goes so far
of the sun,
431
00:21:30,590 --> 00:21:35,259
and that means maybe -
maybe - not formed here,
432
00:21:35,261 --> 00:21:37,194
It could be an alien world,
433
00:21:37,196 --> 00:21:40,231
♪♪
434
00:21:50,008 --> 00:21:52,209
narrator:
How could our solar system
435
00:21:52,211 --> 00:21:55,946
Hooked an alien world?
436
00:21:55,948 --> 00:21:58,682
long ago, it ends our sun
437
00:21:58,684 --> 00:22:03,354
may have rubbed cosmic shoulders
with other stars,
438
00:22:03,356 --> 00:22:07,892
was born
in a stellar nursery,
439
00:22:07,894 --> 00:22:10,694
close to many others
embryonic stars,
440
00:22:10,696 --> 00:22:12,697
♪♪
441
00:22:12,699 --> 00:22:16,300
So if the sun rose
in a very dense neighborhood,
442
00:22:16,302 --> 00:22:18,168
so many other stars
443
00:22:18,170 --> 00:22:20,237
were forming at the same time
in the same region,
444
00:22:20,239 --> 00:22:23,174
It's absolutely possible
This material could be replaced
445
00:22:23,176 --> 00:22:26,110
among these stars
as they are forming planets,
446
00:22:26,112 --> 00:22:28,979
braid:sedna may have formed
just like any other object
447
00:22:28,981 --> 00:22:31,782
around another star -
in a nice circular orbit
448
00:22:31,784 --> 00:22:35,052
beyond the main planets
from that alien solar system,
449
00:22:35,054 --> 00:22:37,655
but if that star
approached the sun,
450
00:22:37,657 --> 00:22:42,393
our gravity may have been able
to raise sedna and rob him,
451
00:22:42,395 --> 00:22:46,530
♪♪
452
00:22:46,532 --> 00:22:49,266
Narrator: it's possible
what other dwarf planets
453
00:22:49,268 --> 00:22:52,203
have been hijacked from other systems
454
00:22:52,205 --> 00:22:56,407
and that these alien worlds
transported foreign water
455
00:22:56,409 --> 00:23:01,145
and even alien organic materials
to the inner planets,
456
00:23:01,147 --> 00:23:03,948
♪♪
457
00:23:03,950 --> 00:23:06,883
It's so tempting to think
that we understand something
458
00:23:06,885 --> 00:23:09,686
as basic as ours
solar system, our own home,
459
00:23:09,688 --> 00:23:11,688
when you discover something
like sedna,
460
00:23:11,690 --> 00:23:14,624
you realize there can be a lot
out there, that we didn't see,
461
00:23:14,626 --> 00:23:16,960
there are objects
who are small like Sedna
462
00:23:16,962 --> 00:23:18,361
that are so far away
463
00:23:18,363 --> 00:23:20,631
that are beyond
our limit to detect them,
464
00:23:20,633 --> 00:23:24,101
then there could be hundreds,
thousands, tens of thousands
465
00:23:24,103 --> 00:23:27,037
of objects out there,
New parts of our solar system
466
00:23:27,039 --> 00:23:28,905
who are still waiting
to be discovered,
467
00:23:28,907 --> 00:23:31,375
♪♪
468
00:23:31,377 --> 00:23:33,978
narrator:our understanding
of the solar system
469
00:23:33,980 --> 00:23:35,379
is changing radically,
470
00:23:35,381 --> 00:23:39,049
Recently explored dwarf planets
stun us
471
00:23:39,051 --> 00:23:43,921
and even the most famous,
Pluto, reveals new secrets,
472
00:23:43,923 --> 00:23:46,323
♪♪
473
00:23:46,325 --> 00:23:48,325
,making us ask,
474
00:23:48,327 --> 00:23:53,264
these worlds could
be so active,
475
00:23:53,266 --> 00:23:56,066
and live like ours?
476
00:23:56,068 --> 00:23:58,102
♪♪
477
00:24:09,081 --> 00:24:11,081
♪♪
478
00:24:11,083 --> 00:24:13,751
narrator:dwarf planets
throughout the solar system
479
00:24:13,753 --> 00:24:17,087
are revealing hidden lives,
480
00:24:17,089 --> 00:24:20,757
in the asteroid belt,
salt on the surface of ceres
481
00:24:20,759 --> 00:24:24,961
suggests liquid water
below the surface,
482
00:24:24,963 --> 00:24:27,698
further away,
the mission of the new horizon
483
00:24:27,700 --> 00:24:31,769
found underground oceans
on Pluto,
484
00:24:31,771 --> 00:24:33,771
we used to think
that water could only exist
485
00:24:33,773 --> 00:24:35,172
in this goldilocks zone,
486
00:24:35,174 --> 00:24:37,441
where it's not so hot
that the water falls
487
00:24:37,443 --> 00:24:39,643
and it's not so cold
that it freezes,
488
00:24:39,645 --> 00:24:41,778
but that is no longer the case,
489
00:24:41,780 --> 00:24:43,780
we look around,
and we found water
490
00:24:43,782 --> 00:24:46,850
in the most unexpected places
in our own solar system,
491
00:24:46,852 --> 00:24:49,119
durda:
This is a kind of revelation
492
00:24:49,121 --> 00:24:50,454
of modern planetary science
493
00:24:50,456 --> 00:24:52,789
that many of these worlds
in the outer solar system
494
00:24:52,791 --> 00:24:55,659
may have underground oceans
of liquid water,
495
00:24:55,661 --> 00:24:58,662
It kind of boggles the mind
to see how far we've come
496
00:24:58,664 --> 00:24:59,863
in our understanding
497
00:24:59,865 --> 00:25:03,267
of interior structures
of these worlds,
498
00:25:03,269 --> 00:25:06,804
narrator:find liquid water
so far from the sun
499
00:25:06,806 --> 00:25:08,939
left scientists surprised,
500
00:25:08,941 --> 00:25:10,941
♪♪
501
00:25:10,943 --> 00:25:13,744
, and the surprises
keep coming
502
00:25:13,746 --> 00:25:17,948
as we study these distant worlds
up close,
503
00:25:17,950 --> 00:25:22,286
makemake,2/3 the size of pluto,
504
00:25:22,288 --> 00:25:28,091
its surface is covered
in ethane and methane ice,
505
00:25:28,093 --> 00:25:32,296
methane is frozen
1/2-inch-sized ice grains,
506
00:25:32,298 --> 00:25:37,968
reacts with sunlight, forming
Organic molecules are called tholins,
507
00:25:37,970 --> 00:25:41,038
these color the planet
red-brown,
508
00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:43,374
♪♪
509
00:25:43,376 --> 00:25:46,110
further away is eris,
510
00:25:46,112 --> 00:25:48,511
it's 9 billion miles
of the sun,
511
00:25:48,513 --> 00:25:50,246
and the surface temperature -
512
00:25:50,248 --> 00:25:55,318
about 400 degrees Fahrenheit
below zero,
513
00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:57,921
eris is absolutely
tempting object,
514
00:25:57,923 --> 00:25:59,923
we really don't know
a lot about it,
515
00:25:59,925 --> 00:26:02,326
should be
very similar to Pluto,
516
00:26:02,328 --> 00:26:03,660
but one of the things we noticed
517
00:26:03,662 --> 00:26:05,796
is the surface of this pluto
it's a little uneven,
518
00:26:05,798 --> 00:26:07,597
there are areas
which are very bright
519
00:26:07,599 --> 00:26:10,067
but also areas
which are quite dark,
520
00:26:10,069 --> 00:26:13,737
eris, on the other hand, seems
to be almost entirely bright,
521
00:26:13,739 --> 00:26:18,008
♪♪
522
00:26:18,010 --> 00:26:20,477
Narrator:eris is one of the
the brightest objects
523
00:26:20,479 --> 00:26:21,611
in the solar system,
524
00:26:21,613 --> 00:26:25,549
reflecting 96%
of the light that hits him,
525
00:26:25,551 --> 00:26:27,284
scientists asked why,
526
00:26:27,286 --> 00:26:33,290
a clue comes from
is a close neighbor, Pluto,
527
00:26:33,292 --> 00:26:38,695
when new horizons passed,
discovered something strange,
528
00:26:38,697 --> 00:26:42,232
one of the funny little details
That's it when we fly over Pluto,
529
00:26:42,234 --> 00:26:43,567
we realized
that there were things
530
00:26:43,569 --> 00:26:46,103
which seemed very
sand dunes below,
531
00:26:46,105 --> 00:26:48,238
Now, that may not sound
incredibly exotic,
532
00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:51,107
you know what a lot
interesting about a sand dune?
533
00:26:51,109 --> 00:26:53,977
narrator:
sand dunes can look dull,
534
00:26:53,979 --> 00:26:58,515
but they can reveal a lot
about the mechanics of a planet,
535
00:26:58,517 --> 00:27:01,051
Radebaugh: unlike the dunes
we know and love on earth
536
00:27:01,053 --> 00:27:02,852
which are made of sand,
the dunes on pluto
537
00:27:02,854 --> 00:27:05,121
are made entirely
of ice particles,
538
00:27:05,123 --> 00:27:07,925
♪♪
539
00:27:07,927 --> 00:27:12,595
Narrator: there is only one thing
that can build dunes - wind,
540
00:27:12,597 --> 00:27:14,798
♪♪
541
00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:17,735
the dunes are like a visual
representation of the wind
542
00:27:17,737 --> 00:27:21,004
That's moving through the valley
and carrying the sands with him
543
00:27:21,006 --> 00:27:24,474
and depositing it in these
Large beautiful dune shapes,
544
00:27:24,476 --> 00:27:26,343
♪♪
545
00:27:26,345 --> 00:27:28,345
narrator:
our planet is big enough
546
00:27:28,347 --> 00:27:30,880
to maintain an atmosphere,
547
00:27:30,882 --> 00:27:35,352
The air, warmed by the sun, rises,
548
00:27:35,354 --> 00:27:39,890
fresh air runs underneath,
generating winds,
549
00:27:39,892 --> 00:27:43,027
Pluto is so small
and so far from the sun,
550
00:27:43,029 --> 00:27:47,898
shouldn't have an atmosphere
or wind or dunes,
551
00:27:47,900 --> 00:27:49,033
Radebaugh:
the problem that Pluto has,
552
00:27:49,035 --> 00:27:51,167
like other small bodies
in the solar system,
553
00:27:51,169 --> 00:27:53,570
is that it is really difficult
to maintain an atmosphere,
554
00:27:53,572 --> 00:27:55,105
is very small,
555
00:27:55,107 --> 00:27:59,509
the atmosphere very thin and light
The gases basically just escape,
556
00:27:59,511 --> 00:28:02,112
narrator:
neither haumea nor makemake
557
00:28:02,114 --> 00:28:05,315
has detectable atmospheres,
558
00:28:05,317 --> 00:28:08,519
but when new horizons
looked back at Pluto
559
00:28:08,521 --> 00:28:12,122
like the dwarf planet
passed in front of the sun
560
00:28:12,124 --> 00:28:17,727
scientists discovered
a fine mist of gas,
561
00:28:17,729 --> 00:28:20,930
it shows,
Pluto has an atmosphere,
562
00:28:20,932 --> 00:28:24,134
♪♪
563
00:28:24,136 --> 00:28:26,737
but this atmosphere
It's temporary
564
00:28:26,739 --> 00:28:30,406
because Pluto's orbit
is elliptical,
565
00:28:30,408 --> 00:28:32,543
sometimes,
It's far from the sun,
566
00:28:32,545 --> 00:28:35,612
other times,
It's much closer and warmer,
567
00:28:35,614 --> 00:28:38,615
creating a kind of
winter and summer,
568
00:28:38,617 --> 00:28:40,950
♪♪
569
00:28:40,952 --> 00:28:43,353
Pluto's atmosphere
depends on the season,
570
00:28:43,355 --> 00:28:45,555
In summer, it's hot enough
to have an atmosphere,
571
00:28:45,557 --> 00:28:49,960
and in winter,
This atmosphere freezes,
572
00:28:49,962 --> 00:28:52,296
durda:along just
a single orbit around the sun,
573
00:28:52,298 --> 00:28:53,964
the surfaces
of these dwarf planets
574
00:28:53,966 --> 00:28:55,699
can change significantly,
575
00:28:55,701 --> 00:28:57,634
condensing and encoding
atmosphere
576
00:28:57,636 --> 00:28:59,436
when they are far from the sun,
577
00:28:59,438 --> 00:29:01,772
having this atmosphere
Revolaubilize
578
00:29:01,774 --> 00:29:06,376
and redistribute the surface
when they are closer to the sun,
579
00:29:06,378 --> 00:29:09,245
Narrator:Pluto is currently
in its summer phase,
580
00:29:09,247 --> 00:29:12,182
the extra heat
during the long summer
581
00:29:12,184 --> 00:29:16,453
evaporates some of the
The nitrogen on the surface,
582
00:29:16,455 --> 00:29:20,390
creating a thin,
gentle atmosphere,
583
00:29:20,392 --> 00:29:22,059
Radebaugh:
It turns out that, although
584
00:29:22,061 --> 00:29:25,462
Pluto's atmosphere
It's very thin, there's wind,
585
00:29:25,464 --> 00:29:28,464
It's really light
but there's just enough wind
586
00:29:28,466 --> 00:29:33,003
to be able to transport particles
with him once they start moving in,
587
00:29:33,005 --> 00:29:35,005
narrator:
the seasonal cycle
588
00:29:35,007 --> 00:29:39,209
could help explain
The shine of eris,
589
00:29:39,211 --> 00:29:42,279
brown:eris is three times
further from the sun
590
00:29:42,281 --> 00:29:43,413
of what Pluto is,
591
00:29:43,415 --> 00:29:44,948
but when you put
a nitrogen atmosphere
592
00:29:44,950 --> 00:29:46,683
three times as far,
593
00:29:46,685 --> 00:29:50,087
that nitrogen freezes solid
to the surface,
594
00:29:50,089 --> 00:29:52,022
oluseyi:
eris could be an indicator
595
00:29:52,024 --> 00:29:54,358
what Pluto looks like
when winter enters,
596
00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:57,961
the gases will freeze, and it will be
become even more reflective,
597
00:29:57,963 --> 00:29:59,963
♪♪
598
00:29:59,965 --> 00:30:01,498
Narrator:in winter,
599
00:30:01,500 --> 00:30:05,568
pluto dunes
will be locked in place,
600
00:30:05,570 --> 00:30:07,971
frozen on the surface,
601
00:30:07,973 --> 00:30:12,976
unlike icy resources
from another dwarf planet
602
00:30:12,978 --> 00:30:16,379
and the case of
the volcanoes disappearing,
603
00:30:16,381 --> 00:30:20,217
♪♪
604
00:30:31,263 --> 00:30:34,331
♪♪
605
00:30:34,333 --> 00:30:37,267
narrator:from far away,
the dwarf planet ceres
606
00:30:37,269 --> 00:30:39,203
looks uniform and dull,
607
00:30:39,205 --> 00:30:41,404
♪♪
608
00:30:41,406 --> 00:30:46,476
, but up close, a huge
The resource comes into sight,
609
00:30:46,478 --> 00:30:48,278
one of the strangest objects
that we saw
610
00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,413
when we started mapping
the surface of ceres
611
00:30:50,415 --> 00:30:54,217
it was something called ahuna mons,
612
00:30:54,219 --> 00:30:58,288
now, that was a strange, leftover
hill, very, very sharp sides,
613
00:30:58,290 --> 00:31:01,624
and did not coincide with any of the
the other land in ceres,
614
00:31:01,626 --> 00:31:06,429
Braid:ahuna mons is a
peculiar feature in ceres,
615
00:31:06,431 --> 00:31:09,700
this is a mountain that is
three miles high,
616
00:31:09,702 --> 00:31:11,301
and there is nothing left
I like that
617
00:31:11,303 --> 00:31:14,705
across the entire surface of ceres,
618
00:31:14,707 --> 00:31:18,976
Narrator:ahuna mons dominates
the ceres landscape,
619
00:31:18,978 --> 00:31:21,911
with its steep sides
and enormous height,
620
00:31:21,913 --> 00:31:24,781
it seems a lot
like volcanoes on earth,
621
00:31:24,783 --> 00:31:28,318
but the earth is still
geologically active,
622
00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:33,390
Ceres is so small, it's melted
The core must be frozen solid,
623
00:31:33,392 --> 00:31:37,861
♪♪
624
00:31:37,863 --> 00:31:39,996
planetary scientist nina lanza
625
00:31:39,998 --> 00:31:43,132
reaches one of the most
volcanically active places
626
00:31:43,134 --> 00:31:44,935
on earth - Iceland,
627
00:31:44,937 --> 00:31:47,270
♪♪
628
00:31:47,272 --> 00:31:50,207
She has a drone-eye view
from mount helgafell,
629
00:31:50,209 --> 00:31:53,810
a similarly shaped volcano
for ahuna mons,
630
00:31:53,812 --> 00:31:56,146
♪♪
631
00:31:56,148 --> 00:31:59,682
so this volcano is
what is called a rhyolitic dome,
632
00:31:59,684 --> 00:32:02,486
and it's a type of lava
633
00:32:02,488 --> 00:32:05,756
this type of emptying
through cracks,
634
00:32:05,758 --> 00:32:10,427
and then form
this kind of bbbby feature
635
00:32:10,429 --> 00:32:13,963
which is pushed by magma
coming from below,
636
00:32:13,965 --> 00:32:16,299
♪♪
637
00:32:16,301 --> 00:32:19,569
narrator:on earth,
red-hot magma bubbles slowly
638
00:32:19,571 --> 00:32:23,640
of cracks on the surface,
building a leaning volcano,
639
00:32:23,642 --> 00:32:25,842
♪♪
640
00:32:25,844 --> 00:32:28,645
but dwarf planets like ceres
they are very small
641
00:32:28,647 --> 00:32:32,582
have a warm core of
molten rock for power volcanism,
642
00:32:32,584 --> 00:32:34,917
♪♪
643
00:32:34,919 --> 00:32:37,687
there is no molten rock
in these smaller worlds
644
00:32:37,689 --> 00:32:38,922
that have a lot of ice on them,
645
00:32:38,924 --> 00:32:42,759
instead what is melted
It's the water beneath the surface,
646
00:32:42,761 --> 00:32:45,195
and if water can work
is on its way to the cracks
647
00:32:45,197 --> 00:32:48,331
and erupts to the surface,
you get a volcano,
648
00:32:48,333 --> 00:32:51,868
but it is a cold water volcano,
649
00:32:51,870 --> 00:32:55,939
we call these cryovolcanoes,
650
00:32:55,941 --> 00:32:58,141
narrator:
liquid water squeezes
651
00:32:58,143 --> 00:33:00,610
through cracks in the surface,
652
00:33:00,612 --> 00:33:04,881
it freezes quickly,
building the mountain,
653
00:33:04,883 --> 00:33:09,152
This volcano, you can see it
is a very young characteristic,
654
00:33:09,154 --> 00:33:11,822
and it is not very eroded,
655
00:33:11,824 --> 00:33:15,625
we wait on earth
what wind and water
656
00:33:15,627 --> 00:33:18,094
will slowly decrease
this mountain away,
657
00:33:18,096 --> 00:33:20,096
narrator:
no wind or weather
658
00:33:20,098 --> 00:33:24,034
to corrupt the cryovolcanoes of Ceres,
once created,
659
00:33:24,036 --> 00:33:26,103
they must remain
on the surface
660
00:33:26,105 --> 00:33:29,772
for billions of years,
661
00:33:29,774 --> 00:33:31,941
ahuna mons is very strange
662
00:33:31,943 --> 00:33:34,710
because it's the only one
high mountain in ceres,
663
00:33:34,712 --> 00:33:35,912
why should this be?
664
00:33:35,914 --> 00:33:38,448
you normally don't get
just one of something,
665
00:33:38,450 --> 00:33:40,917
you should have dozens of them,
and, in fact,
666
00:33:40,919 --> 00:33:44,788
Ceres may have had enough
cryovolcanoes in the past,
667
00:33:44,790 --> 00:33:47,323
But they're all gone today,
668
00:33:47,325 --> 00:33:48,792
lanza: just to put it this way
in perspective
669
00:33:48,794 --> 00:33:51,862
imagine if this is
the only mountain on earth,
670
00:33:51,864 --> 00:33:53,397
why would there only be
a mountain?
671
00:33:53,399 --> 00:33:54,598
what would that mean?
672
00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:56,666
This leads us to ask
the question, you know
673
00:33:56,668 --> 00:34:01,137
are the volcanoes on ceres
disappearing?
674
00:34:01,139 --> 00:34:03,873
the idea that volcanoes
are disappearing -
675
00:34:03,875 --> 00:34:06,610
just so
totally science fiction
676
00:34:06,612 --> 00:34:08,545
and really,
is not realistic,
677
00:34:08,547 --> 00:34:10,880
Of course,
volcanoes can't just disappear,
678
00:34:10,882 --> 00:34:13,483
but in fact,
in the right context,
679
00:34:13,485 --> 00:34:15,952
in certain scenarios,
they really can,
680
00:34:15,954 --> 00:34:17,887
♪♪
681
00:34:17,889 --> 00:34:20,890
the key to this magic trick -
gravity,
682
00:34:20,892 --> 00:34:22,893
can flatten solid matter,
683
00:34:22,895 --> 00:34:24,961
How fast depends on
684
00:34:24,963 --> 00:34:28,731
the structural composition
of the material,
685
00:34:28,733 --> 00:34:30,967
if you want to build
a sandcastle on the beach,
686
00:34:30,969 --> 00:34:32,235
you cannot use dry sand,
687
00:34:32,237 --> 00:34:33,503
it doesn't look good,
688
00:34:33,505 --> 00:34:35,304
so you want to mix
some water there
689
00:34:35,306 --> 00:34:37,240
so that when you do
the structure,
690
00:34:37,242 --> 00:34:38,708
it keeps it together,
691
00:34:38,710 --> 00:34:41,911
but if you mix too much
Water, he simply dribbles,
692
00:34:41,913 --> 00:34:43,647
He visibly relaxes,
693
00:34:43,649 --> 00:34:45,748
he falls,
694
00:34:45,750 --> 00:34:48,718
narrator:
up to the rock volcanoes of Iceland
695
00:34:48,720 --> 00:34:52,189
are slowly falling
under its own weight,
696
00:34:52,191 --> 00:34:54,457
strange how it is
to imagine this,
697
00:34:54,459 --> 00:34:56,193
it turns out
the mountain behind me
698
00:34:56,195 --> 00:35:00,197
It's actually slow
relaxing back,
699
00:35:00,199 --> 00:35:01,931
It's happening very slowly,
700
00:35:01,933 --> 00:35:05,936
not on a time scale
that we can observe directly,
701
00:35:05,938 --> 00:35:09,806
it may be that
there were many cryovolcanoes
702
00:35:09,808 --> 00:35:11,074
on the surface of ceres,
703
00:35:11,076 --> 00:35:14,810
they don't show it anymore
any trace of its existence,
704
00:35:14,812 --> 00:35:17,013
So if we waited around
a little longer
705
00:35:17,015 --> 00:35:19,216
until all ahuna mons
slowly relaxed
706
00:35:19,218 --> 00:35:23,620
back to the planet,
We wouldn't see any trace of it either,
707
00:35:23,622 --> 00:35:27,958
Narrator:maybe ahuna mons
You weren't always alone,
708
00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:31,561
maybe it's just
the last of its kind,
709
00:35:31,563 --> 00:35:34,965
ceres continues
to confuse our expectations,
710
00:35:34,967 --> 00:35:37,434
and there are still
many mysteries
711
00:35:37,436 --> 00:35:39,970
with the other dwarf planets
to be resolved,
712
00:35:39,972 --> 00:35:42,973
how how
they had their moons
713
00:35:42,975 --> 00:35:46,309
and why is Pluto on its side,
714
00:35:46,311 --> 00:35:49,012
♪♪
715
00:35:59,991 --> 00:36:04,561
♪♪
716
00:36:04,563 --> 00:36:06,596
narrator:
just like its larger cousins,
717
00:36:06,598 --> 00:36:11,001
dwarf planets often
has satellites in orbit,
718
00:36:11,003 --> 00:36:16,139
Now we realize that everyone
largest dwarf planets
719
00:36:16,141 --> 00:36:18,341
there are moons around you,
there's a moon,
720
00:36:18,343 --> 00:36:20,543
most of them have one,
haumea has two,
721
00:36:20,545 --> 00:36:23,880
Pluto has five,
722
00:36:23,882 --> 00:36:25,948
narrator:
Four billion years ago,
723
00:36:25,950 --> 00:36:28,551
the young solar system
it was chaotic,
724
00:36:28,553 --> 00:36:31,555
full of little bodies
orbiting the sun,
725
00:36:31,557 --> 00:36:33,689
♪♪
726
00:36:33,691 --> 00:36:39,296
one reached the infant land,
forming the moon,
727
00:36:39,298 --> 00:36:44,234
Smash-ups like these happened
throughout the solar system,
728
00:36:44,236 --> 00:36:48,571
the dwarf planet Haumea formed
of an explosive collision
729
00:36:48,573 --> 00:36:52,375
between two larger objects,
730
00:36:52,377 --> 00:36:57,380
that can explain
is an unusual form of bean,
731
00:36:57,382 --> 00:37:01,450
all dwarf planets
suffered major impacts,
732
00:37:01,452 --> 00:37:03,386
haumea had this big
It left her spinning,
733
00:37:03,388 --> 00:37:05,955
eris has a small moon,
presumably from a giant impact,
734
00:37:05,957 --> 00:37:07,456
makemake has one,
735
00:37:07,458 --> 00:37:11,928
all these bigger objects
these tiny fragments of moons
736
00:37:11,930 --> 00:37:14,731
showing us their story
of just being mistreated
737
00:37:14,733 --> 00:37:18,601
and parts
being eliminated everywhere,
738
00:37:18,603 --> 00:37:21,538
Narrator: most dwarf planets
the moons are small,
739
00:37:21,540 --> 00:37:24,741
not much bigger than asteroids,
740
00:37:24,743 --> 00:37:27,743
but a moon
It's very different --
741
00:37:27,745 --> 00:37:31,213
Pluto's moon, charon,
742
00:37:31,215 --> 00:37:36,619
Pluto's moon is, if anything,
stranger than plutonium itself,
743
00:37:36,621 --> 00:37:37,820
It's Frankenstein's moon,
744
00:37:37,822 --> 00:37:39,689
looks like someone
ripped the moon
745
00:37:39,691 --> 00:37:42,225
and then just kind of
lowered it again,
746
00:37:42,227 --> 00:37:43,826
one hemisphere is smooth,
747
00:37:43,828 --> 00:37:45,428
one is very robust,
748
00:37:45,430 --> 00:37:49,032
has a throat that is like a
carved carved out of the side,
749
00:37:49,034 --> 00:37:52,835
It's really bizarre,
750
00:37:52,837 --> 00:37:55,305
narrator:
an impact may have formed charon
751
00:37:55,307 --> 00:37:57,573
and left tied to Pluto
752
00:37:57,575 --> 00:38:00,109
in a strange way
codependent relationship,
753
00:38:00,111 --> 00:38:01,911
thaller:
In a way, you might think
754
00:38:01,913 --> 00:38:05,048
the pluto-charon system
like almost a binary planet,
755
00:38:05,050 --> 00:38:07,116
there is no other planet
in the solar system
756
00:38:07,118 --> 00:38:11,721
where the moon is so big
proportion and so close,
757
00:38:11,723 --> 00:38:13,723
narrator:
like other binary objects,
758
00:38:13,725 --> 00:38:18,661
orbit of pluto and charon around
a central gravitational point,
759
00:38:18,663 --> 00:38:21,263
locked inside
this gravitational dance,
760
00:38:21,265 --> 00:38:26,202
Pluto and charon always
show the same face,
761
00:38:26,204 --> 00:38:28,805
one of the really interesting
things about pluto and charon
762
00:38:28,807 --> 00:38:30,940
is that they are
what we call tidally blocked,
763
00:38:30,942 --> 00:38:32,408
when Pluto and Charon formed,
764
00:38:32,410 --> 00:38:34,811
they were probably spinning
on their own axes,
765
00:38:34,813 --> 00:38:37,414
but both worlds actually
slowed its rotation
766
00:38:37,416 --> 00:38:39,014
and locked together
767
00:38:39,016 --> 00:38:43,820
with one side constantly facing
the other as they orbit around,
768
00:38:43,822 --> 00:38:46,823
Narrator:but Pluto's rotation
is knocked down
769
00:38:46,825 --> 00:38:49,159
like a top spinning on your side,
770
00:38:49,161 --> 00:38:55,297
so charon's orbit around Pluto
is also knocked down,
771
00:38:55,299 --> 00:38:57,900
almost every planet in the world
The solar system has an orbital axis
772
00:38:57,902 --> 00:39:00,103
which points to approximately
in the same direction,
773
00:39:00,105 --> 00:39:03,907
Pluto is tilted downward
about 120 degrees,
774
00:39:03,909 --> 00:39:05,708
narrator:
scientists have long asked
775
00:39:05,710 --> 00:39:07,977
What caused this disparity,
776
00:39:07,979 --> 00:39:10,179
Charon took after Pluto?
777
00:39:10,181 --> 00:39:14,917
or is the slope a result of
The impact that formed Charon?
778
00:39:14,919 --> 00:39:17,520
a clue was revealed
when new horizons
779
00:39:17,522 --> 00:39:21,657
sent images back
from the heart of Pluto,
780
00:39:21,659 --> 00:39:23,727
one of the most beloved
characteristics of Pluto
781
00:39:23,729 --> 00:39:26,262
like the probe of the new horizon
got closer to it
782
00:39:26,264 --> 00:39:28,832
it was a gigantic
heart-shaped region
783
00:39:28,834 --> 00:39:32,936
on the side of Pluto
facing the spaceship,
784
00:39:32,938 --> 00:39:37,072
narrator:sputnik planitia,
a bright white heart
785
00:39:37,074 --> 00:39:40,944
against the dark of Pluto
pockmarked surface,
786
00:39:40,946 --> 00:39:44,948
When we get closeups of this,
It was completely fascinating,
787
00:39:44,950 --> 00:39:47,417
♪♪
788
00:39:47,419 --> 00:39:49,084
I sighed loudly,
789
00:39:49,086 --> 00:39:51,887
That's how shocking this was,
and I remember saying,
790
00:39:51,889 --> 00:39:54,290
"oh my god,
there are no craters there! "
791
00:39:54,292 --> 00:39:57,494
it's smooth,
as if it were a frozen lake,
792
00:39:57,496 --> 00:39:59,495
this is indicative
of something liquid,
793
00:39:59,497 --> 00:40:01,965
something flowing
under the surface of Pluto,
794
00:40:01,967 --> 00:40:06,035
and what we are seeing
is the upper and frozen layer of it,
795
00:40:06,037 --> 00:40:07,971
thaller:
there are even convection cells
796
00:40:07,973 --> 00:40:11,040
where the ice seems to be
heating and propagation,
797
00:40:11,042 --> 00:40:14,310
This suggests that underneath,
there is a source of energy,
798
00:40:14,312 --> 00:40:18,180
and surprisingly, there may be
a huge basin of liquid water
799
00:40:18,182 --> 00:40:20,116
under that ice,
800
00:40:20,118 --> 00:40:23,252
narrator:sputnik planitia
can hide a giant,
801
00:40:23,254 --> 00:40:26,522
underground ocean
of liquid water,
802
00:40:26,524 --> 00:40:31,327
It's also a gigantic scar
on the surface of Pluto,
803
00:40:31,329 --> 00:40:34,397
probably,
Given the shape and size,
804
00:40:34,399 --> 00:40:37,266
sputnik plantation was formed
in a giant impact,
805
00:40:37,268 --> 00:40:40,002
something was hitting Pluto,
806
00:40:40,004 --> 00:40:42,672
narrator: the combination
of groundwater
807
00:40:42,674 --> 00:40:46,743
and an impact account for
Pluto's unusual tilt?
808
00:40:46,745 --> 00:40:49,145
one theory suggests
that an object
809
00:40:49,147 --> 00:40:51,748
crushed the top of Pluto,
810
00:40:51,750 --> 00:40:54,350
the impact
broke the surface,
811
00:40:54,352 --> 00:40:57,287
and water running
to fill the crater,
812
00:40:57,289 --> 00:40:59,688
♪♪
813
00:40:59,690 --> 00:41:02,758
liquid water
knocked Pluto out of balance,
814
00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:05,562
and the gravitational dance
with charon
815
00:41:05,564 --> 00:41:10,366
turned this heavy heart
to the opposite side,
816
00:41:10,368 --> 00:41:13,369
one idea is that sputnik
Planitia formed where it is
817
00:41:13,371 --> 00:41:15,571
why ice cream
can accumulate on the floor
818
00:41:15,573 --> 00:41:18,575
from a giant impact base,
819
00:41:18,577 --> 00:41:22,111
but it is still not certain whether
In fact, is it the case or not,
820
00:41:22,113 --> 00:41:25,047
♪♪
821
00:41:25,049 --> 00:41:28,784
narrator:dwarf planets,
once thought they were dead nodules,
822
00:41:28,786 --> 00:41:31,387
came alive with mysteries,
823
00:41:31,389 --> 00:41:34,056
they challenged
all our assumptions,
824
00:41:34,058 --> 00:41:37,193
and still, we barely made it
scratched the surface
825
00:41:37,195 --> 00:41:39,595
of these disconcerting worlds,
826
00:41:39,597 --> 00:41:42,332
there are many more
dwarf planets to discover,
827
00:41:42,334 --> 00:41:46,869
and who knows what surprises
Can they have it in the store?
828
00:41:46,871 --> 00:41:49,072
we don't know the final count
of dwarf planets
829
00:41:49,074 --> 00:41:50,740
because we are still
finding them
830
00:41:50,742 --> 00:41:53,543
but I think
there's probably somewhere
831
00:41:53,545 --> 00:41:57,880
between 100 and 200
Dwarf planets outside of Pluto past,
832
00:41:57,882 --> 00:42:00,149
there are probably many,
many more as you go
833
00:42:00,151 --> 00:42:02,685
even further
in the solar system,
834
00:42:02,687 --> 00:42:05,822
dwarf planets are, perhaps,
the most interesting objects
835
00:42:05,824 --> 00:42:07,423
we discovered in the solar system,
836
00:42:07,425 --> 00:42:10,025
they are diverse,
they are geologically active,
837
00:42:10,027 --> 00:42:11,827
they contain liquid water,
838
00:42:11,829 --> 00:42:13,229
just because they are small,
839
00:42:13,231 --> 00:42:14,964
that doesn't mean
they are insignificant
840
00:42:14,966 --> 00:42:16,232
or should be ignored,
841
00:42:16,234 --> 00:42:18,034
They are where it's at,
842
00:42:18,036 --> 00:42:20,970
Braid: For me, this is just
the best, the most exciting,
843
00:42:20,972 --> 00:42:23,306
we have all
these new worlds to study
844
00:42:23,308 --> 00:42:27,377
that we didn't even dream
existed just a few years ago,
845
00:42:27,379 --> 00:42:28,511
this is science,