New Horizons was launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with an aim to study the Pluto system. The space probe has collected about 50 gigabits of data since it started to study the system. This data will occupy researchers for a long time. A new study has revealed that the dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt is an unexpectedly complex and idiosyncratic planet.

More than 150 researchers were part of the study. Alan Stern, a researcher from the Southwest Research Institute and one of the authors of the study, said the Pluto system has provided many surprising things to the researchers. "Most notably teaches us that small planets can remain active billions of years after their formation. We were also taught important lessons by the unexpected degree of geological complexity that both Pluto and its large moon Charon display", said Stern.

In the study, the researchers examined surface geology of Pluto. They studied behavior of the dwarf planet's moons, Nyx, Charon and Hydra. Scientists know that the surface of the planet is diverse in color. During recent flyby, New Horizons captured some images of the surface which showed that the colors are golden, dark red, white and pale blue.

The study revealed that the diversity in the color is indicative of diversity in surface composition of the dwarf planet. Silvia Protopapa, an astronomer from the University of Maryland, said it was known that surface of Pluto was diverse, but it was surprising to find that such surface color and diversity in geology of the planet.