Fw: Astronomy Picture of the Day (5/15/2025): A Plutonian Landscape
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is
featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2025 May 15
A Plutonian Landscape
Image Credit:
,
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Explanation:
of majestic mountains and icy plains
stretches toward the horizon on a small, distant world.
It was captured from a range of about 18,000 kilometers when
,
15 minutes after the spacecraft's closest approach on July 14, 2015.
The dramatic, low-angle,
scene follows rugged mountains formally known as Norgay Montes
from foreground left, and Hillary Montes along the horizon,
Sputnik Planum at
right.
Layers of Pluto's tenuous atmosphere are also revealed
in the backlit view.
With a strangely familiar appearance, the frigid terrain likely
includes ices of nitrogen and carbon monoxide with
water-ice mountains rising up to 3,500 meters (11,000 feet).
That's comparable in height to the
of planet Earth.
The Plutonian landscape is 380 kilometers (230 miles) across.
Tomorrow's picture: pinwheel galaxy
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Authors & editors:
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NASA Official: Amber Straughn
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A service of:
at
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Mary Live long and prosper
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