Science at the Edge of the Solar System: Uncovering the Secrets of the Pluto System and Arrokoth

Ten years ago the New Horizons spacecraft flew by the Pluto system and revealed an unexpectedly diverse range of landscapes on the dwarf planet and its largest moon Charon, implying complex geological histories for these distant worlds. Dr. White will lead a tour of their often bizarre terrains, some of which are still evolving, and will explain what processes scientists think molded them into their present appearances. After a brief stop at Pluto's four small moons, Dr. White will then extend the tour 2 billion km farther out into space to cover Arrokoth, the tiny planetesimal that New Horizons flew past three and a half years after visiting Pluto.  It is the most primitive object in the Solar System yet visited by a spacecraft.

Dr. Oliver White is a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute. His research focuses on unraveling the geological histories of the planets and moons in our Solar System and learning how their surfaces have evolved. A member of the New Horizons mission team, he is particularly interested in the icy outer Solar System worlds, and has produced a geological map of Pluto to be published by the US Geological Survey.  He is currently creating a similar map of Saturn's moon Tethys.