Sam Amico
The New Horizons spacecraft is about 22,000 miles from Pluto, which sounds like a long way away — but it was close enough to snap some pretty cool pictures.
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NASA shared those photos on its Instagram account, revealing the dwarf planet’s “true colors.”
“Small planetary body Saturday? Taken by our New Horizons spacecraft at a distance of 22,025 miles (35,445 km), this image shows Pluto’s true colors, including the ‘heart’ of the dwarf planet — a Texas-and-Oklahoma-sized glacier made of nitrogen and methane.”
Pluto’s ‘True Colors’
Interestingly, Pluto may have a “deep ocean,” as NASA relayed in its post.
“Classified as a dwarf planet, Pluto is just over 1,400 miles (2250 km) wide, about half the width of the United States or 2/3 the width of our Moon,” the caption read. “With its average temperature of -387°F (-232°C) – Pluto’s surface is coated in ice made of water, methane, and nitrogen and is believed to have a rocky core and possibly a deep ocean.”
New Horizons is the first spacecraft to visit Pluto, by the way.
Pluto used to be considered the ninth planet, but it was demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006. Guess it just goes to show that looking pretty isn’t enough to get you status based on just that characteristic alone. Still, no matter what NASA says, we will always consider it a planet in our eyes. Give it the credit it deserves, he worked hard to get where he is. Even if he’s the smallest of them all!
