Gallery: The First Pluto Photos From New Horizons' Massive Data Dump

  • Image may contain Moon Universe Space Night Astronomy Outdoors Nature Outer Space Planet Globe and Earth
    NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI
    01

    Spherical-Mosaic-9-10-15

    This patched-together image of Pluto shows New Horizons' views of the dark, cratered Cthulhu Regio below Sputnik Planum's bright, left lobe.
  • Image may contain Nature and Outdoors
    NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI
    02

    Chaos-Region-9-10-15

    A large region of jumbled, broken terrain on the northwestern edge of Sputnik Planum (that's the big heart).
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Ice Ocean Sea Water Art and Painting
    NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI
    03

    Dark-Areas-9-10-15

    Scientists are still working out what causes these enigmatic fields of dark, aligned ridges. If they are dunes, that could mean Pluto has wind.
  • Image may contain Puddle Nature Outdoors and Water
    NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI
    04

    Surface-Features-9-10-15

    More detail of Pluto's big heart-shaped ice plain, Sputnik Planum.
  • Image may contain Lighting
    NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI
    05

    Composite-Haze-Image-9-10-15

    Two different versions of an image of Pluto's haze layers, taken by New Horizons as it looked back at Pluto's dark side.
  • Image may contain Mountain Outdoors Nature Universe Space Astronomy and Outer Space
    NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI
    06

    twilight-9-10-15

    Pluto's bright, high-altitude atmospheric haze produces a twilight that softly illuminates the surface before sunrise and after sunset.
  • Image may contain Universe Space Moon Astronomy Night Outdoors Outer Space and Nature
    NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI
    07

    charon-9-10-15

    Charon's surface indicates a surprisingly complex geological history, including tectonic fracturing and mountainous uplift.
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