yet to see the entire surface; only a small part near the south pole of the planet by the probe beamed to earth. This first wedge already contained a surprise: Pluto shows mountain have more than three kilometers high , which may be the result of ice volcanism. Due to the extremely low temperatures of more than 200 degrees Celsius below zero, remain the icebergs that have been pressed out of the crust intact.
Because the photo no impact crater is visible, the area may be geologically active, think NASA scientists. Perhaps the area less than a hundred million years, a blink in astronomical terms.
The pictures are shown Wednesdays, located in the heart-shaped area on earlier images were so clearly visible. To honor discoverer Clyde Tombaugh of dwarf planet, it was decided this heart-shaped area after him: the Tombaugh region. The coming days will more pictures New Horizons made yesterday reaching the earth. The small probe is already nearly two million kilometers from Pluto, on the way to the Kuiper Belt.
NASA also showed a picture Pluto’s moon Charon. Then appearing kilometers deep gorges. Also, there is a striking difference in color with Pluto, which mainly has a red tinge. How this difference in color production, is still unclear. Additionally, one of the other five moons of Pluto shown: Hydra, which appears to have a diameter of 43 kilometers. The surface of the moon, discovered only in 2005, probably consists of water ice.
NASA is delighted with the pictures. “The images surpass all our expectations,” said a spokesman for the US space agency.
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