Charon’s refractory factory by Raut, U, Teolis, BD, Kammer, JA, Gimar, CJ, Brody, JS, Gladstone, GR, Howett, CJA, Protopapa, S, Retherford, KD

“…We combine novel laboratory experiments and exospheric modeling to reveal that “dynamic” Ly-α photolysis of Plutonian methane generates a photolytic refractory distribution on Charon that increases with latitude, consistent with poleward darkening observed in the New Horizons images. …”