Pluto's Surface Has a Surprising Amount of Water Ice (Photo)

Water ice is surprisingly abundant on Pluto's surface, a new map of the dwarf planet reveals. Scientists created the map using data collected by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft during its epic flyby of Pluto last July. The new map is more sensitive than an earlier version also produced using flyby observations, and thus shows more water ice — the dwarf planet's bedrock material — cropping up across Pluto's surface than had been seen previously, NASA officials said.