What are possible sources for the Nitrogen? Here’s where the researchers looked:
Singer and Stern wondered if comets could deliver enough nitrogen to Pluto’s surface to resupply what is escaping its atmosphere. They also looked at whether craters made by the comets hitting the surface could excavate enough nitrogen — but that would require a very deep layer of nitrogen ice at the surface, which is not proven. The team also studied whether craters could expose more surface area, by punching through surface deposits that would likely be built up over time.
So being the great scientific researchers that they are, they had to rule out other possible sources. So if those weren’t it, what is?
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