Pluto nearly fills the frame in this image from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) aboard NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, taken on July 13, 2015 when the spacecraft was 476,000 miles (768,000 kilometers) from the surface. This is the last and most detailed image sent to Earth before the spacecraft’s closest approach to Pluto on July 14.Image by NASA/APL/SwRI
Just before 8 am ET this morning, the New Horizons spacecraft made its closest pass by Pluto — closer than any spacecraft has ever been — a mere 7,800 miles from the surface of the dwarf planet. Considering it’s traveled nine years and more than 3 billion miles to get there, that’s extremely close.
As the world awaits data from the icy planet — the next signal from Pluto is scheduled to arrive at 8:53 p.m. ET — NASA has released this most detailed image yet, which shows a heart-shaped featured on the Pluto’s surface. The large, bright region measures about 1,000 miles across, and “the heart,” according to NASA, “borders darker equatorial terrains, and the mottled terrain to its east (pictured right) are complex. However, even at this resolution, much of the heart’s interior appears remarkably featureless—possibly a sign of ongoing geologic processes.” This image was captured on July 13 from a distance of 476,000 miles. Tomorrow’s image will be 10 times sharper than this, says NASA. NASA planetary scientist Alan Stern compared the level of expected detail to seeing the lakes in Central Park and the piers on the Hudson River.
On the NewsHour tonight, Miles O’Brien, in collaboration with NOVA, will report on the New Horizons mission. Here’s a preview of that piece:
All day today, PBS and NOVA will be live tweeting from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, where the New Horizons team is based.
"You look at those pictures and they’re just mind-boggling. It looked remarkably Martian; it was kind of weird.” ~Fran Bagenal #NewHorizons
— NOVA (@novapbs) July 14, 2015
Scroll through the tweets for insights from the New Horizons scientists on a dark pole on Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, impact features and speculation of snow on Pluto.
Alan Sterns responds to question about whether or not it snows on Pluto: "It sure looks that way." #PlutoFlyBy
— NOVA (@novapbs) July 14, 2015
"We wouldn’t be able to ski out there [on Pluto]. The snow is probably too compact and too cold to ski." ~Fran Bagenal, #NewHorizons
— NOVA (@novapbs) July 14, 2015
And here’s a video by science journalist and producer, Kate Tobin, on Pluto’s moon, Charon.
Don’t miss Miles O’Brien’s report on Pluto and the New Horizons mission on tonight’s PBS NewsHour. Chasing Pluto will air Wednesday on NOVA.
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