Science Wire Space

Mountain with a moat on Charon

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July 19, 2015

View larger. | The New Horizons spacecraft captured this image about 1.5 hours before closest approach to Pluto on July 14, from a range of 49,000 miles (79,000 km). Image via NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

NASA released this image and news of a newly discovered on Pluto’s moon Charon on July 16, 2015. They’re calling it a mountain with a moat on Charon. It’s a captivating depression on the Pluto moon, with a peak in the middle, shown here in the upper left corner of the inset. The image shows an area approximately 240 miles (390 km) from top to bottom, including few visible craters. NASA said:

This image gives a preview of what the surface of this large moon will look like in future close-ups from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft. This image is heavily compressed; sharper versions are anticipated when the full-fidelity data from New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) are returned to Earth.

The rectangle superimposed on the global view of Charon shows the approximate location of this close-up view.

Can’t wait to see more!

Via NASA

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July 19, 2015

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Deborah Byrd

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Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.