Select a region
Nasa has released the first close-up images of Pluto and her moons from the #Plutoflyby mission.
Almost three billion miles away and nine years on, here are some of the breathtaking images sent from Nasa’s New Horizons spacecraft.
It’s fair to say the internet is impressed.
Here's a picture to help put the size of Pluto into perspective! #PlutoFlyby #NewHorizons pic.twitter.com/J5J7eOEiiZ
— Daniel El-Wailly (@Barefootdan) July 15, 2015
(That’s Alaska, by the way).
I love all of these @NASANewHorizons scientists so much. Their excitement is infectious. #plutoflyby #mordoroncheron
— Niki Becker (@NikiBeckerMusic) July 15, 2015
On #PlutoFlyby, a quote from #StarTrek: @NASANewHorizons' mission is 'to boldly go where no man has gone before'. When reality meets #Scifi…
— MaxVonSama (@MaxVonSama) July 15, 2015
Here are the most recent shots beamed back to Earth from the probe.
Hydra.
Hail Hydra #PlutoFlyby
— Daniel (@SuitablyManic) July 15, 2015
Everybody. We have a picture of a 30-mile-wide planetoid that's *three billion miles* away. Hail Hydra. #PlutoFlyby
— Haplo (@djHaplo) July 15, 2015
#Hydra is very reflective, surface is made of water-ice #PlutoFlyby pic.twitter.com/thBIxEIyQx
— Elisabetta Bonora (@EliBonora) July 15, 2015
Pluto's moon Hydra composed of water ice, says @NASANewHorizons scientists! #PlutoFlyby
— Oceans at MIT (@MIT_Oceans) July 15, 2015
Hydra is like a masquerade mask #plutoflyby
— naoyuki sasanami (@naotko) July 15, 2015
Methane map of Pluto.
Methane officially confirmed on Pluto, unevenly distributed so that means there may be a source. #PlutoFlyby
— PLUTO HOMES FOR SALE (@jaredhead) July 15, 2015
Methane map of Pluto #PlutoFlyby pic.twitter.com/yqP13vomJu
— Jason Major (@JPMajor) July 15, 2015
Charon (Pluto’s largest moon).
Speaking live on television, the team revealed that they have been informally referring to the dark patch near the north pole of Charon as Mordor.
Towards the North East they identified 600 miles of troughs and cliffs.
At the two o’clock position scientists pointed out a canyon estimated to be about 4-6 miles deep. And another at the 11 o’clock position which is less deep.
I’m totally going hiking in that 4-6 mile deep canyon at the upper right of Charon – you in @PlanetDr? #PlutoFlyby pic.twitter.com/A1QU4oETdM
— Bobak Ferdowsi (@tweetsoutloud) July 15, 2015
And then came what the world was waiting for. A truly awesome close-up of Pluto itself.
The photos show that Pluto’s topography is much more varied than originally thought.
Pluto is finally ready for it's close-up! #PlutoFlyby pic.twitter.com/PJJCistfXz
— Aly Keves (@alykeves) July 15, 2015
And some weird and uninspired guesswork.
@earthskyscience Tis a great whale! #PlutoFlyby
— Dwayne Hickman (@bedorca) July 15, 2015
@BadAstronomer I see a grey sphere. You see all that? #PlutoFlyBy
— JGD (@JGDphoenixrises) July 15, 2015
