BRENT: NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto has taken its first color image of the planet and its largest moon, Charon, at a distance of 71 million miles.
The new photo, taken on April 9, reveals insights about Pluto and Charon, as well as suggestions of the science to come when New Horizons flies by the Pluto system on July 14.
Until this image, the closest scientists had of photographing Pluto was by using Hubble Space Telescope.
Jim Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, said the image reveals a number of differences” between Pluto and Charon.
For instance, Charon is dimmer than Pluto. Green said the contrast may be due to a difference in composition of the two bodies, or it could even be caused by a previously unseen atmosphere on Charon.
This uncertainty should clear up come July when New Horizon’s gets its first ever good look at the two faraway objects.
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