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AsteriaStar
Feature type

Ice Plain & Glacier

A broad plain or flowing sheet of ice. On Pluto, the nitrogen-ice glaciers of Sputnik Planitia churn and flow; on Mars and the icy moons, water ice shapes the surface.

In brief

A broad plain or flowing sheet of ice.

Examples of this feature

  • Sputnik PlanitiaSurface feature
    Pluto · ≈ 1,000 km across

    The vast nitrogen-ice plain that forms the western lobe of Pluto's bright 'heart'. Its ice slowly churns in convection cells and flows like a glacier, keeping the surface young.

Knowledge connections

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

    Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.