The scientific goals of New Horizons were to characterize the global geology and morphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface composition, and analyze Pluto's neutral atmosphere and its …

Jul 15, 2018 · This is the most detailed view of Pluto’s terrain you’ll see for a very long time. This mosaic strip – extending across the hemisphere that faced the New Horizons spacecraft as it flew past Pluto …

May 31, 2025 · Scientists have seen visible layers in Pluto's thin atmosphere and signs of possible alterations in its surface makeup—signs that the dwarf planet may be more geologically active than …

Pluto's surface consists of 98% nitrogen ice with ice mountains, ice volcanoes, and has a thin atmosphere consisting of nitrogen and trace gases. A subsurface ocean of liquid water is likely.

The map covers 85% of the planet's surface and indicates that Pluto has a dark equatorial belt and bright polar caps. The brightness variations in this map may be due to topographic features such as …

Apr 22, 2025 · Pluto's surface has mountains, valleys, plains, and craters. The temperature on Pluto can be as cold as -375 to -400 degrees Fahrenheit (-226 to -240 degrees Celsius).

Dec 3, 2024 · These frozen gases cover Pluto's approximately 6.4 million square miles of surface area, which is barely the size of Russia. The icy terrain is much like Earth's with polar ice caps, valleys, …

New Horizons data suggest equally variable surface ages for Pluto, with ancient, dark, mountainous terrain occurring alongside the bright, flat, effectively craterless Sputnik Planitia and various terrains …

Pluto's surface is remarkably varied, with large changes in both brightness and colour: The colour varies between charcoal black, dark orange and white. The surface of Pluto is thought to be composed of …

Mar 7, 1996 · The never-before-seen surface of the distant planet Pluto is resolved in these Hubble Space Telescope pictures, taken with the European Space Agency 's (ESA) Faint Object Camera …