What Does Pluto Really Look Like?

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In summary: If you compare this image of Ceres to the one released last year, you'll see that the surface features have changed quite a bit. The bright spots on the surface of Ceres now look like craters, and the darker regions now show up as ridges.As for Pluto, you can see the informally named Sputnik Planitia in the center of the image. This is where New Horizons was when it snapped this photo, and it's where the probe will be when it flies by Pluto on July 14.There's also a region called the Tombaugh Regio, which is just south of the equator on Pluto. This is where Tombaugh, the first person to discover Pluto, made his famous discovery
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diogenesNY
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As reported by the BBC:

By Jonathan Amos BBC Science Correspondent

The New Horizons probe, which is bearing down on Pluto, has captured its first colour image of the distant dwarf planet.

The picture, just released by the US space agency, shows a reddish world accompanied by its biggest moon, Charon.

New Horizons is set to barrel past Pluto on 14 July.

It will acquire a mass of data that it will then return to Earth very slowly over the course of the next 16 months.

[article continues...] http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32311907

diogenesNY
 
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Just what I need, another 3 months of being glued to my computer monitor...
Thank god it's not going into orbit.

The New Horizons craft is at the moment in communication with two Deep Space Network dishes:
Goldstone #14
Data reception rate: 1.26 kb/sec​
Canberra #43
Data reception rate: 1.26 kb/sec
Data transmission rate: not specified​

The BBC article mentioned above said:
"Nothing like this has been done in a quarter of a century and nothing like this is being planned again by any space agency.
"This is a real moment in time for you to watch us turn a point of light into a planet."

Sweet!
 
  • #3
Man, this is so cool. Who'd have thought Pluto was red? I'd always pictured it as being darkish-grey and drab looking.
 
  • #4
Emily Lakdawalla, Planetary Evangelist, made an interesting observation about the "published" image of Pluto and Charon:

New views of three worlds: Ceres, Pluto, and Charon
2015/04/16 20:17 UTC

20150416_20150414_First_Color_Image_Ralph.png


Before you get too excited about interpreting features on the surface of Pluto from this image, you need to realize that it has been enlarged by quite a lot from the original resolution of the camera. If I've done my math right, it's been enlarged by a factor of six. Just for fun, I've "de-enlarged" the image by reducing its size by a factor of six -- these don't show you the data's actual original pixels, but it should illustrate the size of the original pixels.

20150416_20150414_First_Color_Image_Ralph_de-enlarged.png
 

FAQ: What Does Pluto Really Look Like?

What is "Coloured Pluto comes into view"?

"Coloured Pluto comes into view" refers to the first-ever color images of Pluto, captured by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft in 2015. These images provided a detailed look at the surface of Pluto, which was previously only seen in black and white.

Why are the color images of Pluto significant?

The color images of Pluto are significant because they allowed scientists to better understand the composition and geological processes on the surface of the dwarf planet. The different colors seen in the images indicate variations in the types of materials present on Pluto's surface.

What techniques were used to capture the color images of Pluto?

The color images of Pluto were captured using a combination of a color camera and a spectrometer on board the New Horizons spacecraft. The color camera took multiple images in different color filters, which were then combined to create the color images. The spectrometer measured the light reflected by Pluto's surface to determine the composition of different areas.

What did the color images reveal about Pluto's surface?

The color images of Pluto revealed a diverse and dynamic surface, with features such as mountains, valleys, and plains. The images also showed evidence of different types of ices, including nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide ices. These images also provided insights into the atmospheric and geological processes on Pluto.

How have the color images of Pluto contributed to our understanding of the solar system?

The color images of Pluto have contributed to our understanding of the solar system by providing a more detailed look at a previously unexplored world. They have also helped scientists learn more about the formation and evolution of dwarf planets and the outer regions of our solar system. Additionally, these images have sparked further research and exploration of other small bodies in the Kuiper Belt.

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