Quirks and Quarks

Pluto shows a new face

Results from the New Horizons probe show details of Pluto and its moons

Results from the New Horizons probe show details of Pluto and its moons

(NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI/Gladstone et al./Science (2016))
When the New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto last July, it transmitted back spectacular images of the never-before seen surface of Pluto.

But as spectacular as they were, these were really just the first snapshots of the probe's visit. The detailed data has been streaming down from the spacecraft, bit by bit, ever since.

Now Dr. William McKinnon, professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and other members of the New Horizons science team, have just released results from the first third of that data, which paint a new picture of Pluto's active geology, and help tell the story of the origins of Pluto's moons.

Related Links

- Papers in Science on Pluto's geology and moons
- Science news article
- NASA release
- Wired article
New York Times article
- CBC News article