Pluto at Night
Explanation:
The night side of Pluto spans
this shadowy scene.
The spacebased view with the Sun behind the distant world was captured by
New Horizons last July.
The spacecraft was at a range of over 21,000 kilometers,
about 19 minutes after its closest approach.
A denizen
of the
Kuiper Belt in dramatic silhouette, the image
also reveals Pluto's tenuous, surprisingly
complex layers of
hazy atmosphere.
The crescent
twilight landscape
near the top of the frame includes
southern areas of nitrogen ice plains informally known as
Sputnik Planum and
rugged mountains
of water-ice in the Norgay Montes.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
