Gorgeous ‘Twilight Zone’ Photo of Pluto May Show Cloud For First Time
NASA describes the new image of Pluto which showed rugged mountains, nitrogen ice plains and also a big cloud scudding through this exotic with the smallest planet which is known as “twilight zone” of Pluto. After the closest move towards Pluto, the NASA`s New Horizon spacecraft captured the photo on July 14th, 2015. This happens when the sun happens to move to the other side of the dwarf planet from probe`s perspective.
The sunlight filters Pluto`s multiple layered atmosphere and lights up few features in backlit twilight view. This includes towering Norgay Montes mountain range with the vast plain which is known as Sputnik Platinum, which has renewed its surface every 5,00,000 years by churning convective processes.
“That may be a discrete, low-lying cloud in Pluto’s atmosphere; if so, it would be the only one yet identified in New Horizons imagery,” NASA officials wrote in a photo description.
At top limb of pluto there are some features like mountains, plains and possible cloud observed which shows the landscape details also visible at the bottom of the photo which portrays Pluto`s night side.
“The topography here appears quite rugged, and broad valleys and sharp peaks with relief totaling 3 miles re-apparent,” Said NASA officials.
A Ralph/Multispectral Visual Camera is observed about 19 minutes at the closest Pluto approach from a distance of 13,000 miles. By this coming fall, the new horizon is still beaming flyby data home and continues further.