drumbo
09-03-06, 01:02 PM
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0103/pluto_sri.jpg (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0103/pluto_sri.jpg) Pluto in True Color
Credit: Eliot Young (http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~efy/) (SwRI (http://www.swri.edu/)) et al., NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/)
Explanation: Pluto is mostly brown. The above picture (http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~efy/PMap01/sphere.jpeg) captures the true colors of Pluto (http://www.nineplanets.org/pluto.html) as well as the highest surface resolution so far recovered (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2000DPS....32.4601Y). Although no spacecraft has yet visited this distant world (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/pluto.html), the New Horizons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons) spacecraft launched (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060124.html) early this year is expected to reach Pluto in 2015.Pluto recent reclassification (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060828.html), by the International Astronomical Union (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Astronomical_Union), from planet to dwarf planet (http://www.iau2006.org/mirror/www.iau.org/iau0603/index.html) remains a topic of much debate (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/planetprotest/).The above map (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1999AJ....117.1063Y) was created by tracking brightness changes from Earth (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/earth.html) of Pluto (http://apod.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?pluto+AND+charon) during times when it was being partially eclipsed by its moon Charon (http://www.nineplanets.org/pluto.html#charon). The map therefore shows the hemisphere of Pluto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto) that faces Charon. Pluto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_redefinition_of_%22planet%22)'s brown color is thought dominated by frozen methane (http://www.epa.gov/methane/) deposits metamorphosed by faint but energetic sunlight.The dark band below Pluto (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/plutofact.html)'s equator is seen to have rather complex coloring, however, indicating that some unknown mechanisms may have affected Pluto (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4596246.stm)'s surface.
Source (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060903.html)
Credit: Eliot Young (http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~efy/) (SwRI (http://www.swri.edu/)) et al., NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/)
Explanation: Pluto is mostly brown. The above picture (http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~efy/PMap01/sphere.jpeg) captures the true colors of Pluto (http://www.nineplanets.org/pluto.html) as well as the highest surface resolution so far recovered (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2000DPS....32.4601Y). Although no spacecraft has yet visited this distant world (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/pluto.html), the New Horizons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons) spacecraft launched (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060124.html) early this year is expected to reach Pluto in 2015.Pluto recent reclassification (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060828.html), by the International Astronomical Union (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Astronomical_Union), from planet to dwarf planet (http://www.iau2006.org/mirror/www.iau.org/iau0603/index.html) remains a topic of much debate (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/planetprotest/).The above map (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1999AJ....117.1063Y) was created by tracking brightness changes from Earth (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/earth.html) of Pluto (http://apod.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?pluto+AND+charon) during times when it was being partially eclipsed by its moon Charon (http://www.nineplanets.org/pluto.html#charon). The map therefore shows the hemisphere of Pluto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto) that faces Charon. Pluto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_redefinition_of_%22planet%22)'s brown color is thought dominated by frozen methane (http://www.epa.gov/methane/) deposits metamorphosed by faint but energetic sunlight.The dark band below Pluto (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/plutofact.html)'s equator is seen to have rather complex coloring, however, indicating that some unknown mechanisms may have affected Pluto (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4596246.stm)'s surface.
Source (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060903.html)