Tag: pluto nasa

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day June 3, 2023: Portrait of Pluto’s moon Charon
Technology

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day June 3, 2023: Portrait of Pluto’s moon Charon

[ad_1] Pluto's orbit is highly elliptical. And due to its relatively small size and a considerable distance from Earth, Pluto's characteristics and features have remained largely a secret until the New Horizons spacecraft conducted a flyby in July 2015. This mission provided crucial data about this distant world. Among the discoveries made during the New Horizons mission, it was found that Charon, one of Pluto's five moons, holds a significant role. Charon is not only the largest of Pluto's moons, but it is also the largest known satellite relative to its parent body in our entire solar system. In fact, Charon's diameter is roughly half that of Pluto itself. Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day is a portrait of Pluto's largest moon - Charon. In this high-resolution image, a captiva...
NASA’s New Horizons snaps awesome glowing Blue Halo around Pluto
Technology

NASA’s New Horizons snaps awesome glowing Blue Halo around Pluto

[ad_1] NASA has just revealed an amazing photo of Pluto with a blue halo glowing all around it. The image was captured by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft back on July 14, 2015. When this photo was taken, New Horizons was approximately 120000 miles or 200,000 kilometers from Pluto. What caused it? "The smog present in Pluto's atmosphere is thought to be a result of the reaction between sunlight and methane and other molecules," NASA said in a blog.The space agency further explained that this process creates a complicated blend of hydrocarbons that accumulate into tiny haze particles, which disperse blue light. As these particles gradually descend through the atmosphere, they generate several complex horizontal layers that span heights of more than 120 miles, around 200 kilometers. NASA a...