Yes , it ’s that time of the week , when we depend at the latest stunning data returned from the New Horizons spacecraft from itsflyby of Plutoin July 2015 . This time around , we get to see in detail some canyons on the surface , further evidence of architectonic activity on the dwarf satellite one thousand million of years ago .
The figure , taken from a distance of 33,900 kilometers ( 21,100 mile ) , shows the north polar region of Pluto , with the North Pole label in the simulacrum below . It was taken by New Horizons ’ Ralph / Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera ( MVIC ) .
At first glimpse , the enhanced color image is immediately noticeable for the dark-brown - jaundiced regions , which have a higher height than the surrounding bluish - gray region . The white-livered color may be the solution of “ sr. methane deposits that have been more treat by solar radiation than the bluer terrain , ” Will Grundy , New Horizons typography team leader from Lowell Observatory , aver in astatement .
tightlipped examen of the effigy then reveal a net of canyons and valley on the Earth’s surface . The biggest , shown in yellow below , is about 75 kilometers ( 47 miles ) wide . run analog are small subsidiary company canyons , in fleeceable , about 10 kilometers ( 6 mil ) wide . A winding vale in blue is see at the bottom of the large canon in yellow , and another further east is shown in pink .
Interestingly , the wall of the canyons seem to be old and more degraded than others on Pluto , suggesting they are made of a weaker material . Nearby , in carmine , heavy pits up to 70 kilometers ( 43 naut mi ) across and 4 kilometer ( 2.5 miles ) deep can be seen , which may be the result of melting frosting that caused the ground to collapse .
This pronounce image bring out canon ( yellow and green ) , valleys ( blue and pink ) , and pits ( flushed ) at Pluto ’s north gelid area . NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI
The canyons are riveting because they supply further evidence for tectonic and geologic natural action on Pluto . Already we have seenmountainson the surface , and possiblecryovolcanoesthat spewed ice instead of lava . A rich history of Pluto continue to be painted by these finding .
owe to the amount of data point compile by New Horizons during its flyby , and its comparatively lowly data transfer pace to Earth , range like this stored by the spacecraft will keep to be sent back every workweek for most of this class . The spacecraft itself ison its wayto explore a Kuiper Belt Object ( KBO ) in 2019 .
