Pluto in Enhanced Color
Explanation:
Pluto is more colorful than we
can see.
Color data and images of our Solar System's most famous
dwarf planet, taken by the
robotic
New Horizons spacecraft during its
flyby in July,
have been digitally combined to give an enhanced view of this
ancient world sporting an unexpectedly young surface.
The
featured enhanced color image is not only
esthetically pretty but
scientifically
useful,
making surface regions of differing chemical composition visually distinct.
For example, the light-colored heart-shaped
Tombaugh
Regio on the lower right is clearly shown here to be divisible into two regions
that are
geologically different,
with the leftmost lobe
Sputnik Planum also appearing
unusually smooth.
New Horizons now continues
on beyond
Pluto, will continue to beam back more images and data, and will
soon be directed
to change course so that it can
fly past asteroid 2014 MU69 in 2019 January.
Pluto Images with Brief Explanations:
APOD Pluto Search
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.
