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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Nov 23, 2025 · Pluto's surface is quite diverse, with mountains, valleys, plains, and craters. The dwarf planet’s mountains are made of water ice and can reach more than three kilometers in height.

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 …

Jul 28, 2022 · Pluto's surface is one of the coldest places in the solar system. Temperatures here can drop to around minus 375 to minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 226 to minus 240 degrees Celsius).

Nov 21, 2025 · An observer standing on Pluto’s surface would see the Sun as an extremely bright star in the dark sky, providing Pluto on average 1/1,600 of the amount of sunlight that reaches Earth.

Pluto’s mountains, craters, and plains are formed not of rock, but of ices like nitrogen, which are normally gasses on Earth. One of the most striking features of Pluto’s ever-changing surface is the …

Detailed image of Pluto: Early detailed images of Pluto from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft reveal a variety of surprising and complex landforms and features. This view, which spans about 1100 miles …