Image Gallery: new Pluto images from New Horizons

pluto
Composite of three new Pluto images. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Paul Scott Anderson

These are the newest images of Pluto from New Horizons, taken from May 8-12, 2015, at a distance of just under 77 million kilometres (50 million miles). More detail on the surface can be seen now, with a lot of albedo variations. Not much longer now until closest approach on July 14, when the best images then will have 5,000 times the resolution of these ones!

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Image Gallery: odd ‘shavings’ in Spirit of St. Louis crater on Mars

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Odd “shavings” on rock after brushing (left side of image). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

An interesting image from the Opportunity rover, sol 4023. There are a lot of little shavings-like bits on this brushed rock inside the Spirit of St. Louis crater. Are they just a peculiar result of the brushing of dust by the rover instrument or something else? Are they bits of the rock itself or other embedded material? Similar ones were seen once before, but they seem to be uncommon, even after most brushings.

Read MoreImage Gallery: odd ‘shavings’ in Spirit of St. Louis crater on Mars