“New Horizons” The latest information and images PLUTO “New Horizons” The latest information and images

Recent Probe to Pluto In 2015 the “New Horizons” space probe flew by Pluto giving us our first good images of its surface. Including a large heart-shaped light colored region The Tombaugh Regio Or this “Icy spider” of fractures revealing a red material beneath the surface

Pluto’s Basic Stats Radius: 1,187 km (.186 of Earth) Mass: 1.30 x 10²² kg (.00218 of Earth) Density: 1.860 g/cm³ Surface Gravity: .620 m/s² Orbit and Rotation Distance to Sun: Aphelion: 49.34 AU Perihelion : 29.7 AU Period (Year): 248 Earth Years Day, Sidereal: 6.39 Earth Days Axial Tilt: 122.5º (Earth’s: 23.45°) Name Origin: Roman God of Underworld

Pluto’s atmosphere Before the “New Horizon’s” probe Pluto’s thin nitrogen atmosphere was thought to freeze back onto the surface when it was farthest from the Sun It turns out it doesn’t. The atmosphere stays there and may even become thicker when it is farther away.

Pluto’s Features Mapped Pluto’s varied terrain includes Mountains and Plains

Composition and Internal Structure The Plains of Pluto are 93% frozen Nitrogen The white parts of the Tombaugh regio have some Carbon Monoxide Ice Mountainous Ares are mostly Water Ice Radiation should have heated the interior enough to differentiate and creating layers Water Ice under the surface, and A rocky (silicate) Core

Pluto’s Moons Charon’s radius is about half that of Pluto (606km) It is so big that: It and Pluto both orbit each other, a binary TNO The are tidally locked to each other There are four small moons Discovered in: 2005 Nix & Hydra 2011 Kerberos 2012 Styx