File:PIA19856-PlutoCharon-NewHorizons-Color-20150714.jpg

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Summary

Description
English: PIA19856: A Binary Planet in Color


http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19856


FILE DESCRIPTION:

Pluto and Charon are shown in enhanced color in this image, which is the highest-resolution color image of the pair so far returned to Earth by New Horizons. It was taken at 06:49 UT on July 14, 2015, five hours before Pluto closest approach, from a range of 150,000 miles (250,000 kilometers), with the spacecraft's Ralph instrument.

The image highlights the contrasting appearance of the two worlds: Charon is mostly gray, with a dark reddish polar cap, while Pluto shows a wide variety of subtle color variations, including yellowish patches on the north polar cap and subtly contrasting colors for the two halves of Pluto's "heart", informally named Tombaugh Regio, seen in the upper right quadrant of the image.

In order to fit Pluto and Charon in the same frame in their correct relative positions, the image has been rotated so the north pole on both Pluto and Charon is pointing towards the upper left. The image was made with the blue, red, and near-infrared color filters of Ralph's Multicolor Visible Imaging Camera, and shows colors that are similar, but not identical, to what would be seen with the human eye, which is sensitive to a narrower range of wavelengths.

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, designed, built, and operates the New Horizons spacecraft, and manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The Southwest Research Institute, based in San Antonio, leads the science team, payload operations and encounter science planning. New Horizons is part of the New Frontiers Program managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Date
Source http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpeg/PIA19856.jpg
Author NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

Licensing

Public domain This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.)
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14 July 2015

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Date/TimeThumbnailDimensionsUserComment
current22:24, 23 July 2015Thumbnail for version as of 22:24, 23 July 20152,526 × 501 (38 KB)DrbogdanUser created page with UploadWizard

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