Back from the dead

"Pluto: Back from the dead" is an intriguing BBC documentary from 2020. In 2015, the unmanned space probe New Horizons passed Pluto and sent back sensational pictures of the demoted planet to scientists on Earth. 

It seems Pluto isn´t a dark, smooth world covered entirely by ice, or whatever was the prevailing consensus before 2015. It´s true colors are white and red. The surface of the dwarf planet is covered by enormous geological formations, such as volcanoes and mountain ranges, all made of ice. There is liquid water below the surface, water heavily mixed with ammonia. There may even be a molten core at the center of Pluto, generating heat. Pluto is, in short, a geologically active world. It even has an atmosphere!

What "everyone" wants to know is whether this peculiar little world can also sustain life. While the documentary pitches quite heavily for a "yes", the fine print seems to be that this is still very speculative. Organic molecules do exist on Pluto, and in combination with water, heat and UV radiation, things could perhaps become interesting...but nobody really knows. Still, I suppose it would be interesting if some kind of archeobacteria-like micro-organisms could be detected on a planet named after the Graeco-Roman god of the underworld. Hence, the title of this docu: "Pluto: Back from the dead".

Perhaps it´s also a jocular reference to Pluto´s demotion from planet to dwarf planet. It seems the universe didn´t notice, and humanity belatedly realized that the castaway might be the most interesting object in our solar system...

Back from the dead, indeed!