Tag: New Horizons
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New Horizons provides the best close-up of Pluto some of us might ever see
Craters and linear features are scattered across Pluto’s terrain in this high-resolution view from NASA’s New Horizons probe. (Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI) Almost a year after NASA’s New Horizons probe flew past Pluto, the team behind the mission has put together a long mosaic strip that includes all of the highest-resolution images. “This…
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What’s new from New Horizons: Clean water ice on Pluto’s far-out moon, Hydra
An image captured during the New Horizons flyby in July 2015 shows Hydra, Pluto’s outermost moon. (Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI) If you’re looking for a place to chip off an ice cube for a cool interplanetary drink, you can’t do much better than Hydra, Pluto’s outermost moon. Newly released readings from NASA’s New…
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Ancient Pluto could have had rivers and lakes of liquid nitrogen, scientists say
This enhanced color image of Pluto highlights the many subtle color differences between Pluto’s distinct regions. The imagery was collected by the spacecraft’s Ralph/MVIC color camera on July 14, 2015, from a range of 22,000 miles. (Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI) Rivers and lakes of liquid nitrogen may have splashed over Pluto’s surface hundreds of…
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Clouds on Pluto? Pictures from NASA’s New Horizons probe spark discussion
An image captured by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft last July 14 shows the edge of Pluto and its atmospheric haze, including what appears to be a light wispy cloud toward the right side of the image. (Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI via New Scientist) Even before NASA’s New Horizons probe flew past Pluto, scientists…
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Why methane snow covers Pluto’s peaks
The inset pictures show a section of Pluto’s Cthulhu Regio that includes a reddish plain as well as a 260-mile-long mountain range. The far right inset indicates the distribution of methane ice in purple, as observed by New Horizons’ Ralph/MVIC imager during the spacecraft’s flyby on July 14, 2015. The dark terrain informally known as…
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Pluto’s polar canyons get their close-up
This enhanced-color image was obtained by New Horizons’ MVIC camera about 45 minutes before closest approach on July 14, 2015, when the spacecraft was 21,100 miles away. The lower edge of the image measures about 750 miles long. (Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI) The heart-shaped region along Pluto’s equator has been the darling of…
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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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Scientists dissect Pluto’s heart, for geology’s sake
This map of the left side of Pluto’s heart-shaped feature uses colors to represent Pluto’s varied terrains, which helps scientists understand the complex geological processes at work. (Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI) Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the scientists behind NASA’s New Horizons mission are sharing a map that brings a different perspective to Pluto’s…
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Weird! New Horizons probe spots islands of water ice floating in nitrogen slush
This image focuses in on a part of Pluto’s heart-shaped region where hills of water ice appear to be floating on top of a nitrogen glacier. Challenger Colles, toward the top of the inset photo, is a wide cluster of water-ice hills. (Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI) There’s plenty of evidence that Pluto is…
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NASA puts Pluto and its heart on a valentine
Pluto is all smiles in NASA’s valentine. (Credit: NASA) Say it with Pluto? After NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft spotted a heart-shaped region on Pluto, you had to know it was just a matter of time before the dwarf planet made its appearance on a valentine. Sure enough, this year’s crop of printable Valentine’s Day cards…