5 Million Miles from Pluto
Explanation:
An image snapped
on July 7 by the New Horizons spacecraft
while just under 5 million miles (8 million kilometers)
from Pluto is combined with
color data
in this most detailed view yet of the Solar System's most famous world
about to be explored.
The region imaged includes the tip of an elongated dark area
along Pluto's equator already
dubbed "the whale".
A bright heart-shaped region on the right is about 1,200 miles (2,000)
kilometers across, possibly covered with a frost of
frozen methane, nitrogen, and/or carbon monoxide.
The view is centered near the area that will be seen during New Horizons
much anticipated
July 14 closest approach to
a distance of about 7,750 miles (12,500 kilometers).
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
