By — Jenny Marder Jenny Marder Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/world-awaits-word-pluto-heres-best-image-yet Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Tomorrow’s image of Pluto will be 10 times sharper than this image below Science Jul 14, 2015 11:04 AM EDT 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. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Jenny Marder Jenny Marder Jenny Marder is a senior science writer for NASA and a freelance journalist. Her stories have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and National Geographic. She was formerly digital managing editor for the PBS NewsHour. @jennymarder
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. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now