Geology on Pluto
Pluto is coming into focus.
As the robotic
New Horizons spacecraft bears down on this unexplored world of the distant
Solar System,
new features on its surface are becoming evident.
In the
displayed image taken last Thursday and released yesterday, an unusual
polygonal structure roughly 200 kilometers wide is visible on the left,
while just below it relatively
complex terrain runs diagonally across the dwarf planet.
New Horizon's
images and data on these structures will likely be studied for years to
come in an effort to better understand the geologic history of
Pluto and our Solar System.
After suffering a
troublesome glitch last week,
New Horizons will make its historic
flyby of
Pluto and its moons on Tuesday.