Caged gas blanket may explain why Pluto’s oceans are liquid
Ocean temperatures close to water’s freezing point may mean dwarf planet is hospitable to life
A thin blanket of trapped gas could explain why Pluto still has a liquid ocean, despite the lack of tidal or radioactive heating. The gas-containing clathrate hydrate layer also indicates that the dwarf planet’s oceans could be significantly warmer and less ammonia-rich water than previously believed, which might mean that life could exist on Pluto.