The latest image of Pluto from New Horizons, taken on July 11, 2015, has just been posted. More interesting geological features can now be seen, including possible cliffs and a crater, as well as the other bright and dark patches. There is also a new image of Pluto’s largest moon Charon, showing chasms, craters and the large dark area at the north pole. It is now less than two days until closest approach, at 7:49 AM EDT on July 14!
The latest image of Pluto from New Horizons, taken on July 11, 2015 from 4 million kilometres (2.5 million miles) away. The four dark spots along the equator (next to the “whale” feature) can be seen better now, but will be on the other side of the dwarf planet when New Horizons passes by. It is now only three days until closest approach!
The latest image of Pluto from New Horizons, taken on July 9, 2015 from 5.4 million kilometres (3.3 million miles) away. The long dark feature along the equator called the “whale” is at the bottom of the image, and another band of “complex terrain” including polygonal features above that stretches for about 1,609 kilometres (1,000 miles). It is now only three days until closest approach!
Great new OSIRIS images of individual dust jets coming off comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, from the Rosetta spacecraft. They were taken about half an hour after the Sun had set in the region, and show many individual jets erupting from the comet’s surface.
Read MoreImage Gallery: the jets of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
These are the newest images of Pluto from the New Horizons spacecraft as it continues to get closer. Light and dark surface features are starting to be seen more clearly now, and closest encounter is now just over a month away!
Read MoreImage Gallery: new images of Pluto (May 29 – June 2, 2015)