This July 13, 2015, image of Pluto and Charon is presented in false colors to make differences in surface material and features easy to see. It was obtained by the Ralph instrument on NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, using three filters to obtain color information, which is exaggerated in the image. These are not the actual colors of Pluto and Charon, and the apparent distance between the two bodies has been reduced for this side-by-side view.<\/em><\/p>\nThe image reveals that the bright heart-shaped region of Pluto includes areas that differ in color characteristics. The western lobe, shaped like an ice-cream cone, appears peach color in this image. A mottled area on the right (east) appears bluish. Even within Pluto’s northern polar cap, in the upper part of the image, various shades of yellow-orange indicate subtle compositional differences. <\/em><\/p>\nThe surface of Charon is viewed using the same exaggerated color. The red on the dark northern polar cap of Charon is attributed to hydrocarbon materials including a class of chemical compounds called tholins. The mottled colors at lower latitudes point to the diversity of terrains on Charon.<\/em><\/p>\nThis image was taken at 3:38 a.m. EDT on July 13, one day before New Horizons’ closest approach to Pluto.<\/em><\/div>\nThe images were obtained using three of the color filters of the \u201cRalph\u201d instrument on July 13 at 3:38 am EDT. New Horizons has seven science instruments on board the spacecraft\u2014including \u201cRalph\u201d and \u201cAlice\u201d, whose names are a throwback to the \u201cHoneymooners,\u201d a popular 1950s sitcom.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese images show that Pluto and Charon are truly complex worlds. There’s a whole lot going on here,\u201d said New Horizons co-investigator Will Grundy, Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona. \u201cOur surface composition team is working as fast as we can to identify the substances in different regions on Pluto and unravel the processes that put them where they are.\u201d<\/p>\n
The color data helps scientists understand the molecular make-up of ices on the surfaces of Pluto and Charon, as well as the age of geologic features such as craters. They can also tell us about surface changes caused by space \u201cweather,\u201d such as radiation.<\/p>\n
The new color images reveal that the \u201cheart\u201d of Pluto actually consists of two remarkably different-colored regions. In the false-color image, the heart consists of a western lobe shaped like an ice cream cone that appears peach color in this image. A mottled area on the right (east) side looks bluish. A mid-latitude band appears in shades ranging from pale blue through red. Even within the northern polar cap, in the upper part of the image, various shades of yellow-orange indicate subtle compositional differences. This image was obtained using three of the color filters of the Ralph instrument on July 13 at 3:38 am EDT and received on the ground on at 12:25 pm.<\/p>\n
Charon is just as colorful<\/strong><\/p>\nThe surface of Charon is viewed using the same exaggerated color. The red on the dark northern polar cap of Charon is attributed to hydrocarbon and other molecules, a class of chemical compounds called tholins. The mottled colors at lower latitudes point to the diversity of terrains on Charon. This image was obtained using three of the color filters of the Ralph instrument on July 13 at 3:38 am EDT and received on the ground on at 12:25 pm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe make these color images to highlight the variety of surface environments present in the Pluto system,\u201d said Dennis Reuter, co-investigator with the New Horizons Composition Team. \u201cThey show us in an intuitive way that there is much still to learn from the data coming down.\u201d Due to the three-billion-mile distance to Pluto, data takes 4 \u00bd hours to come to Earth, even at the speed of light. It will take 16 months for all of New Horizons\u2019 science data to be received, and the treasure trove from this mission will be studied for decades to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The colors are not authentic but the images are still interesting and pretty: Pluto and Charon Shine in False Color New Horizons Composition Team Uses July 13 Data to Study Pluto\u2019s Puzzling Surface New Horizons has obtained impressive new images of Pluto and its large moon Charon that highlight their compositional diversity. These are not … Continue reading New Horizons: False colors bring out features in Pluto & Charon<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,13,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pluto","category-space-science","category-space-systems"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-2R9","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10809,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10809","url_meta":{"origin":10983,"position":0},"title":"First color animated images of Pluto and its moon Charon","author":"TopSpacer","date":"June 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The\u00a0New Horizons\u00a0spacecraft approaching Pluto sends some color images of Pluto and its moon Charon: First Color Animated Images Show Pluto and its Moon Charon The first color movies from NASA\u2019s New Horizons mission show Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, and the complex orbital dance of the two bodies, known\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Pluto and beyond"","block_context":{"text":"Pluto and beyond","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=97"},"img":{"alt_text":"loop_final[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/loop_final1.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10933,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10933","url_meta":{"origin":10983,"position":1},"title":"New Horizons: Best image yet of Pluto and its moon Charon","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Pluto and Charon are coming into focus as New Horizons' probe nears fly-by. Here are the latest and sharpest images so far: Pluto and Charon: New Horizons' Dynamic Duo They're a fascinating pair: Two icy worlds, spinning around their common center of gravity like a pair of figure skaters clasping\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Pluto and beyond"","block_context":{"text":"Pluto and beyond","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=97"},"img":{"alt_text":"pluto_charon_150709[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/pluto_charon_1507091-1024x768.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11520,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=11520","url_meta":{"origin":10983,"position":2},"title":"New Horizons: Images & fly-over video of Pluto’s moon Charon show a dramatic landscape","author":"TopSpacer","date":"October 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The New Horizons missions releases great imagery of Pluto's moon Charon: Pluto\u2019s Big Moon Charon Reveals a Colorful and Violent History NASA\u2019s New Horizons spacecraft has returned the best color and the highest resolution images yet of Pluto\u2019s largest moon, Charon \u2013 and these pictures show a surprisingly complex and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Pluto and beyond"","block_context":{"text":"Pluto and beyond","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=97"},"img":{"alt_text":"Charon-Neutral-Bright-Release[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Charon-Neutral-Bright-Release1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8506,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8506","url_meta":{"origin":10983,"position":3},"title":"New Horizons probe sees Charon orbiting Pluto","author":"TopSpacer","date":"August 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The\u00a0\u00a0New Horizons\u00a0spacecraft is steadily closing in on Pluto as it heads for a fly-by next July. The spacecraft can now distinguish Pluto from its moon Charon with its long range camera. New Horizons Spies Charon Orbiting Pluto Pluto and Charon dance in this sequence of images taken over 6 days.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Multiple media"","block_context":{"text":"Multiple media","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=36"},"img":{"alt_text":"PR_E12_proper_nosat_3fps","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/PR_E12_proper_nosat_3fps.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10372,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10372","url_meta":{"origin":10983,"position":4},"title":"Videos: New Horizons Pluto mission update + Color image of Pluto and moon Charon","author":"TopSpacer","date":"April 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The\u00a0New Horizons\u00a0spacecraft moves ever closer to Pluto for its fly-by in July. Today there were two panel discussions about the mission. The first panel focused on the science: https:\/\/youtu.be\/Ej3HUvLw_sA Here's the second panel, which focuses on the spacecraft: https:\/\/youtu.be\/OOx7Oi7go3E ----- Here's a NASA's New Horizons Nears Historic Encounter with Pluto\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Pluto and beyond"","block_context":{"text":"Pluto and beyond","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=97"},"img":{"alt_text":"20150414_First_Color_Image_Ralph[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/20150414_First_Color_Image_Ralph1.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9847,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=9847","url_meta":{"origin":10983,"position":5},"title":"New Horizons returns new images of Pluto","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The New Horizons spacecraft moves ever closer to Pluto and to its fly-by this summer. 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