Spacecraft takes first color image of Pluto
Scientists have managed to snap the first color image from a spacecraft of Pluto and its largest moon Charon.
It might not look like much more than a blurry red blob in deep space, but the image, taken by the Ralph color imager aboard NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, marks a major milestone as the craft makes its way for the first time to the dwarf planet on the edge of the solar system.
It's no wonder the image is a bit out of focus. It was taken from a distance of about 71 million miles (115 million kilometers) - roughly the distance from the sun to Venus. But even at this distance, it is possible to differentiate between Pluto and its Texas-sized moon.
The picture was taken on April 9 and downlinked to Earth the following day. More images including those showing surface features of Pluto are expected in the coming months, as New Horizons approaches its flyby of Pluto on July 14.
The New Horizons Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission launched an unmanned spacecraft to Pluto in January 2006. In 2014, mission engineers tested its systems, nudged the small spacecraft into a better trajectory, and announced that it is on track to fly by Pluto one year from now, with the closest approach expected in mid-July 2015.
Pluto is part of the Kuiper Belt, the outer ring of the solar system containing countless chunks of space ice of varying sizes.
In February 2007 the New Horizons spacecraft used Jupiter to slingshot it with a gravitational boost toward Pluto, cutting three years off the trip. Like any good tourist, New Horizons sent back photos from interesting locations, including dramatic pictures of a volcanic eruption on one of Jupiter's moons.