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Astronomy Picture of the Day - A Plutonian Landscape
NASA ^ | 15 May, 2025 | Image Credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins Univ./APL, Southwest Research Institute

Posted on 05/15/2025 12:32:27 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: This shadowy landscape of majestic mountains and icy plains stretches toward the horizon on a small, distant world. It was captured from a range of about 18,000 kilometers when New Horizons looked back toward Pluto, 15 minutes after the spacecraft's closest approach on July 14, 2015. The dramatic, low-angle, near-twilight scene follows rugged mountains formally known as Norgay Montes from foreground left, and Hillary Montes along the horizon, giving way to smooth Sputnik Planum at right. Layers of Pluto's tenuous atmosphere are also revealed in the backlit view. With a strangely familiar appearance, the frigid terrain likely includes ices of nitrogen and carbon monoxide with water-ice mountains rising up to 3,500 meters (11,000 feet). That's comparable in height to the majestic mountains of planet Earth. The Plutonian landscape is 380 kilometers (230 miles) across.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa

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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 05/15/2025 12:32:27 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 05/15/2025 12:32:47 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 05/15/2025 12:33:26 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Like the snow-covered landscapes you might find in polar latitudes or the Swiss Alps. Only the snow is a mile deep of solid freaking nitrogen.


4 posted on 05/15/2025 12:38:42 PM PDT by Telepathic Intruder
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To: Telepathic Intruder
“…mile deep of solid freaking nitrogen…”

.

Sounds just a wee bit too chilly for my liking.

5 posted on 05/15/2025 12:52:30 PM PDT by GaltAdonis
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To: MtnClimber

Pluto and it’s moon Charion on are very strange places.


6 posted on 05/15/2025 12:57:06 PM PDT by The Sentient Sheep
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To: MtnClimber

Wow, amazing.


7 posted on 05/15/2025 1:10:20 PM PDT by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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To: MtnClimber

Pluto will always be a planet to me.

L


8 posted on 05/15/2025 1:12:28 PM PDT by Lurker ( Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: MtnClimber

Pluto was such a spectacular surprise once we were shown those beautiful close up pictures a few years back.
This image is no exception.


9 posted on 05/15/2025 1:13:21 PM PDT by mitch5501 ("make your calling and election sure:for if ye do these things ye shall never fall")
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To: GaltAdonis
Chilly enough to freeze your willy.


10 posted on 05/15/2025 1:15:22 PM PDT by Telepathic Intruder
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To: Lurker

Absolutely. Planethood is only a social construct, after all. Free Pluto!!


11 posted on 05/15/2025 1:18:42 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: Telepathic Intruder
The elites that are afraid of the ramifications of global warming can pay Elon Musk to construct a plutonian colony and relocate there.
Just watch out for this guy...

Cause we all know plutonium comes from Pluto.
12 posted on 05/15/2025 2:01:40 PM PDT by Waverunner
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To: Billthedrill

13 posted on 05/15/2025 3:26:30 PM PDT by rfp1234 (E Porcibus Unum)
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To: MtnClimber
When I first saw these photos I thought they looked like Hollywood fakes. The New Horizons probe could only download data slowly so it was weeks before everything got published.

Pluto was demoted from planet status but Plutonium is still element #94 . The power source for the probe? Plutonium, of course!

14 posted on 05/15/2025 3:31:59 PM PDT by Nateman (Democrats did not strive for fraud friendly voting merely to continue honest elections.)
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To: MtnClimber

An amazing landscape.


15 posted on 05/16/2025 5:14:43 AM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
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