Tag: Charon
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Five years after New Horizons flyby, scientists assess next mission to Pluto
A composite of enhanced color images of Pluto (lower right) and Charon (upper left), taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft as it passed through the Pluto system on July 14, 2015. This image highlights the striking differences between Pluto and Charon. The color and brightness of both Pluto and Charon have been processed identically to…
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Final Pluto data transmission received from flyby probe
Artist’s concept of the New Horizons spacecraft transmitting data back to Earth through its 83-inch (2.1-meter) antenna. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI The last bits of data collected during NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft’s speedy flyby of Pluto last year are back on Earth, scientists said Thursday, marking the official end of the probe’s prime mission. It took more…
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How Pluto’s methane turned into red ‘spray paint’ on its biggest moon Charon
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft captured this high-resolution, enhanced color view of Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, just before closest approach on July 14, 2015. Scientists have learned that reddish material in the north (top) polar region – informally named Mordor Macula – is chemically processed methane that escaped from Pluto’s atmosphere onto Charon. (Credit: NASA /…
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One year after Pluto flyby, New Horizons mission looks back and looks ahead
A composite image shows enhanced-color views of Pluto (lower right) and Charon (upper left). Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI One year ago today, NASA’s New Horizons probe whizzed past Pluto and opened up a new frontier for planetary science – and to mark the occasion, the mission team is looking back at its greatest hits and…
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New Horizons imagery backs up the claim that Charon, Pluto’s biggest moon, once had an ocean
This close-up of canyons on Charon was taken by NASA’s New Horizons probe during its flyby last July. The color-coded picture shows elevation data. Serenity Chasma’s depth can exceed 4 miles in some places. In comparison, the Grand Canyon’s maximum depth is a mere mile. (Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI) Scientists say the patterns…
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See how the world turns on Pluto and Charon, thanks to NASA’s New Horizons
An array of images shows Pluto from all sides, as seen by NASA’s New Horizons probe over the course of one full Plutonian day (6.4 Earth days) from July 7 to 13. (Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI) The bright heart of Pluto has been burned into our consciousness, thanks to scads of high-resolution pictures. But…
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‘Weird’ mountains on Pluto may be ice volcanoes
The informally named feature Wright Mons, located south of Sputnik Planum on Pluto, is an unusual feature that’s about 100 miles (160 kilometers) wide and 13,000 feet (4 kilometers) high. It displays a summit depression (visible in the center of the image) that’s approximately 35 miles (56 kilometers) across, with a distinctive hummocky texture on…
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A crescent Pluto shines like a jewel in the Kuiper Belt
This image, taken 15 minutes after the New Horizons spacecraft’s closest approach to Pluto on July 14, reveals the distant world’s rugged terrain and atmospheric haze layers. This image, first published in early September, was re-released by NASA Thursday after further image progressing to bring out details. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI An image released Thursday, taken by…
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Initial Pluto flyby science results published
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION This high-resolution image captured by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft combines blue, red and infrared images taken by the Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC). The bright expanse is the western lobe of the “heart,” informally called Sputnik Planum, which has been found to be rich in nitrogen, carbon monoxide…
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Science journal gives New Horizons mission to Pluto its day in the sun
NASA’s New Horizons probe captured this backlit image of Pluto as it flew past the dwarf planet on July 14. Scattered sunlight reveals numerous haze layers within Pluto’s thin atmosphere, while the surprisingly diverse surface landscape indicates ongoing geological activity. (Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI) The first peer-reviewed scientific paper about the New Horizons probe’s…