Tag: Kuiper Belt

  • A crescent Pluto shines like a jewel in the Kuiper Belt

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    This image, taken 15 minutes after the New Horizons spacecraft’s closest approach to Pluto on July 14, reveals the distant world’s rugged terrain and atmospheric haze layers. This image, first published in early September, was re-released by NASA Thursday after further image progressing to bring out details. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI An image released Thursday, taken by…

  • Charon takes center stage in new batch of New Horizons images

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    This enhanced color view of Charon comes from New Horizons’ Ralph color camera. The colors highlight the subtle variations in the composition of Charon’s crust, with the reddish region near the north pole — informally named Mordor Macular — standing out most prominently. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute With a meandering…

  • Distant ice ball to become farthest object ever visited

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    Artist’s concept of the New Horizons spacecraft flying by a Kuiper Belt Object. Credit: Alex Parker A frozen fragment left over from the formation of the solar system is set to become the most distant object ever explored by a human-built space probe, scientists working on the New Horizons mission said Friday. The selection is…

  • Scientists eager for restart of Pluto photo pipeline

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    Four images from New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with color data from the Ralph instrument to create this global view of Pluto. (The lower right edge of Pluto in this view currently lacks high-resolution color coverage.) The images, taken when the spacecraft was 280,000 miles (450,000 kilometers) away, show features as…

  • Scientists plan for New Horizons probe’s second act

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    Artist’s concept of the New Horizons spacecraft flying by a Kuiper Belt Object. Credit: Alex Parker Scientists are about to decide where to send NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft next, and it is down to two candidates at the frozen frontier of the solar system to become the most distant object ever visited by a human-built…

  • New Horizons awake for Pluto encounter

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    Artist’s concept of the New Horizons spacecraft approaching Pluto and its moon Charon. Credit: JHUAPL/SwRI Speeding through the outer solar system after a nine-year trek from Earth, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is awake and preparing for an encounter next summer with Pluto. The probe’s mission control center in Maryland received signals from New Horizons at…