New Horizons Pluto System Final Approach, 28 Jun-13 Jul 15 Options

[Big Joe]

Sorry I know this is noise but the pictures are just getting overwhelmingly spectacular. Seeing Pluto in this resolution I just wanted to congratulate
everyone on the New Horizons team. They must be extremely proud of the hard work so far and for what is yet to come.

[CAP-Team]

I think Pluto reminds me of Iapetus

[FOV]

Attributes of both Titan and Triton on Pluto?



I've been trying to think of another body in the solar system with a dark pole, like Charon? Maybe the icy pole is different in composition from the rest of the terrain? I apologize for the clumsy captions and processing tools appearance.

[Ian R]

Io has a dark pole, suggesting that perhaps Charon has been subject to some sort of tidally-induced resurfacing.

[Steve G]

At this resolution, we should be getting hints of cratering. I see no cratering or even impact basins.

[stevesliva]

At this resolution, we should be getting hints of cratering. I see no cratering or even impact basins.

Seeing no hints of topography because the sun is directly behind the camera...

[machi]

Not happy with previous version. I found some DCT artifacts which were visible in the bright area.
This is improved version with some decent denoising.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[Roby72]

The surface of Pluto looks to me like images of Mars with red or IR filters through small telescopes.
The darker regions on Mars are the more older (more cratered) and the brighter are younger (with the vulcanoes).
Maybe we will find some cracks on the bright regions on Pluto. The dark regions will be much cratered i suspect.
We will see in a week !

Robert

[pioneer]

The drawing of Pluto in this article from 2014 is looking eerily accurate:

Guardian Website

[4throck]

The latest image has some features that look like Triton.
The edge of the bright area has a "ring", like Triton's polar cap.
And those dark diagonal streaks covering a large part of the surface also remind me of it.
For reference https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...w_colorized.jpg

[surbiton]

Just brilliant !The bottom "thing" turned out to be a crater after all !

[nprev]

What are you referring to, surbiton? I'm also not aware that any features have been officially identified.

[belleraphon1]

Wasn't there supposed to be a press conference a half hour ago on NH?

Sorry.....work intervened. No new information on nasa tv new horizons update today that we on this forum did not already know. No image release mentioned at tha ttime..
wow....first comment using my tablet.

Been around since before Mariner 2. On my table is my notebook of photocopied articles pertaining to Voyager 2 Neptune flyby 1989. And the 1970 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC with Kenneth Weaver article "Voyage to the Panets". Illustrations by Ludekk Pesek. 45 years ago this cemented my passion for planets. A passion that keeps on giving.

Every day a new journey. And this forum just keeps on giving as well.

[Aldebaran]

Io has a dark pole, suggesting that perhaps Charon has been subject to some sort of tidally-induced resurfacing.

That probably goes for both bodies. I'll stick my neck out say that we'll probably see a lot of resurfacing on Pluto too. The density, the tidal forces through several billion years, the "volatile" composition of the crust and the elliptical orbit would have seen to that. Having said that, I'm looking forward to any surprises that might eventuate. For all we know, Pluto may be heavily cratered.

[Ian R]

True, but the discovery of fresh deposits of ammonia hydrates and water crystals on Charon, coupled with the darker north pole, suggests that it may have seen more recent 'activity' than Pluto itself.

Nonetheless, only time will tell ....