Pluto
QuizMe: Pluto
Discovered by humanity less than 100 years ago, Pluto has largely remained an enigma ever since. It was not until 2015 that the first spacecraft from Earth – an uncrewed probe sent by NASA – made a flyby of the distant planet, passing within 7,750 miles of the surface after traversing three-billion miles since its …
Glittering prizes within Pluto data
It is exactly one year since New Horizons hurtled through the Pluto system at 49,600 km/h, after a journey of nearly nine and a half years, its array of scientific instruments gathering precious data on this hitherto mysterious world and its family of moons. We shared in the thrill of the flyby and then watched in …
Flowing ice and atmospheric haze discovered on Pluto
Flowing ice and a surprising extended haze are among the newest discoveries from NASA’s New Horizons mission, which reveal distant Pluto to be an icy world of wonders. “We knew that a mission to Pluto would bring some surprises, and now — 10 days after closest approach — we can say that our expectation has …
New Horizons unveils Pluto and its moons
After traveling more than three billion miles during a nine-and-a-half year journey, the New Horizons spacecraft has made a successful investigative flyby of Pluto. With the achievement, the United States via NASA has become the first country to send a spacecraft to all nine of the classical planets of our solar system. Yes, we said nine, not …
New Horizons: Pluto garners the spotlight
Nine years ago, in 2006, NASA launched the New Horizons spacecraft to the outer reaches of the Solar System in order to study the Pluto system. New Horizons is the fastest spacecraft ever launched, and has traveled more than three billion miles to reach its primary target: Pluto. The flyby of the Pluto system on …