With less than six days remaining now until closest approach, Pluto is starting to show its real face for the first time ever, including a big “heart.”
Read MoreClosing in on Pluto: dwarf planet shows its face and heart
With less than six days remaining now until closest approach, Pluto is starting to show its real face for the first time ever, including a big “heart.”
Read MoreClosing in on Pluto: dwarf planet shows its face and heart
After an anomaly was detected onboard the New Horizons spacecraft on July 4, which had many people holding their collective breath, NASA announced today that science operations will resume on July 7, just days before the spacecraft makes its closest approach to Pluto and its moons on July 14.
Read MoreAfter glitch, New Horizons to resume science operations July 7, before Pluto encounter
First there were the unusual bright spots on Ceres, which are still awaiting an explanation, and now as New Horizons races toward its flyby encounter with Pluto on July 14, another mystery has emerged: four intriguing large dark spots more or less along Pluto’s equator which seem to be roughly the same size and evenly spaced. The spots are mentioned as part of an update on July 1 from NASA about the “two different faces of Pluto” that scientists are now starting to see in more detail.
Read MoreNew colour images show ‘two faces’ of Pluto and odd dark spots along equator
The latest images of Pluto from the New Horizons spacecraft. The view keeps getting better, with many dark and light areas becoming visible. Also the largest moon Charon:
Read MoreImage Gallery: new images of Pluto (June 5 – June 18, 2015)
This is the newest image of the main bright spots on dwarf planet Ceres taken by the Dawn spacecraft. It was taken on May 16, 2015, with a resolution of 700 metres (2,250 feet) per pixel. The second spot on the right can now be seen to be several smaller spots close together.