NASA has posted color images of Pluto and Charon



    At the same time, the colors in the photo do not correspond to the real state of things. They were specially strengthened in order to show the difference in the surface structure of Pluto and Charon. Images were obtained using the color filters of the Ralph tool on July 13 this year. It is worth noting that New Horizons has seven different scientific instruments on board, including “Ralph” and “Alice”. An interesting fact - the names of the instruments were given in honor of the popular sitcom “Honeymooners” in the 1950s.

    “These images show that Pluto and Charon are truly complex worlds. there’s a lot going on here, ”says Will Grandi, a member of the New Horizons team. “Our surface research team works as fast as we can identify the surface material of various regions of Pluto and study the processes that led to the deposition of these compounds exactly where they are now,” the scientist continued.

    Color helps scientists understand the molecular composition of ice on Pluto and Charon, as well as estimate the age of geological objects, including craters. All this can also show scientists how space “weather” influenced surface dynamics.



    Now we can already understand that the “heart” on Pluto consists of two different regions, covered with different material.

    Charon's surface is studied in the same way. So, the red color on the dark polar cap of Charon is hydrocarbons and other compounds, tholins. Variegated colors in the lower latitudes demonstrate the diversity of the surface structure of Charon.

    Well, and finally, one of the last ordinary photos of Pluto made by the station:



    It is worth recalling that the signal from New Horizons to Earth takes more than 4 hours. Obtaining all the scientific data collected by the station will take at least 16 months. Studying this information will take decades.

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