Gallery: Space Photos of the Week: Hello, Pluto, You Beautiful Thing
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/feature/how-big-is-pluto-new-horizons-settles-decades-long-debate"> NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI</a>01SPoW-July12-17-03
An image of Pluto (right) and Charon (left), one of the dwarf planet’s five moons. Data from New Horizons has determined Pluto to be 1,473 miles in diameter, a bit larger than many previous estimates. Charon is confirmed as 751 miles in diameter.
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasas-three-billion-mile-journey-to-pluto-reaches-historic-encounter"> NASA/APL/SwRI</a>02SPoW-July12-17-06
A color image of Pluto taken on July 13, 2015. This photo is a combination of a black-and-white image snapped by LORRI and color captured by Ralph. New Horizons traveled nearly 3 billion miles and 10 years to reach the dwarf planet.
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/the-icy-mountains-of-pluto"> NASA-JHUAPL-SwRI</a>03SPoW-July12-17-05
An up close photo of Pluto shows icy mountains thought to be less than 100 million years old. “This is one of the youngest surfaces we’ve ever seen in the solar system,” says Jeff Moore, GGI team leader of NASA’s Ames Research Center.
<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-new-horizons-discovers-frozen-plains-in-the-heart-of-pluto-s-heart">NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI</a>04SPoW-July12-17-08
This photo is a detail of Pluto’s heart-shaped region nicknamed “Tombaugh Regio.” In the center are frozen plains that look a lot like mud cracks. The shapes are sporadic and surrounded by thin troughs.
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/charon-s-surprising-youthful-and-varied-terrain"> NASA-JHUAPL-SwRI</a>05SPoW-July12-17-02
New details of Charon, Pluto’s largest moon. The surface has cliffs and troughs about 600 miles across, but very few craters. Preliminary research indicates the moon’s surface is fairly young, reshaped by geologic activity.
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/pluto-and-charon-shine-in-false-color"> NASA/APL/SwRI</a>06SPoW-July12-17-01
This photo shows Pluto and Charon in false color to highlight the different features on each surface. The exaggeration shows Pluto’s “big heart,” a large feature that appears to have varying geologic, tectonic or morphologic origins.
