This high-resolution image captured by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft combines blue, red and infrared images taken by the Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC). The bright expanse is the western lobe of the "heart," informally called Sputnik Planum, which has been found to be rich in nitrogen, carbon monoxide and methane ices.
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.
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | Pluto | |
System | Pluto | |
Target Type | Dwarf Planet | |
Mission | New Horizons | |
Instrument Host | New Horizons | |
Host Type | Flyby Spacecraft | |
Instrument | Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) | Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) |
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Color, Infrared, Methane | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2015-10-15 | |
Date in Caption | ||
Image Credit | NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20007 | |
Identifier | PIA20007 |