NASA’s New Horizons Reveals Secrets About Pluto’s Twilight Zone

An incredible new photo of Pluto released by NASA shows nitrogen ice plains and rugged mountains on the icy dwarf planet’s surface, and a probable big cloud floating through its skies. NASA reportedly termed the view in the photo as the twilight zone of Pluto.

The twilight zone image of the dwarf planet was captured by NASA’s New Horizons probe on July 14, 2015 during its closest approach to Pluto. The photo was taken via New Horizons’s Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera from a distance of about 12,550 kilometers from Pluto’s surface.

Sunlight filters through & illuminates Pluto’s complex atmospheric haze: https://t.co/I7nvupfxy7 @NASANewHorizons pic.twitter.com/7TGBpzZOdd

— NASA (@NASA) June 2, 2016

Incidentally, the Sun was on the other side of Pluto when New Horizon’s captured the image, therefore its rays light up certain features from the back of the dwarf planet, such as the vast plain of Sputnik Planum and the high mountain ranges of Norgay Montes. The sunlight also illuminates a bright wisp that measures approximately 10 miles in length, which scientists are interpreting as a low lying cloud. If it is indeed confirmed to be one then “it would be the only one yet identified in New Horizons imagery," NASA officials wrote in an image description. The find would unveil a secret of Pluto, which is the presence of clouds.

The possible cloud, plains and mountains are all backlit by rays of sunlight at Pluto’s top limb. However, more intriguing and interesting details can also be seen at the lower part of the photo which shows the night time of Pluto. "The topography here appears quite rugged, and broad valleys and sharp peaks with relief totaling 3 miles (5 kilometers) are apparent," wrote NASA officials.

New Horizons is still in the process of sending back more photos and data that it took and is taking during flyby, and they will keep on reaching us beyond fall this year. The slow rate of transmission is due to the vast distance between the spacecraft and Earth, which considerably weakens radio signal.

The New Horizons spacecraft is around 5.15 billion kilometers from Earth at the moment and is on its way towards a small celestial body called 2014 MU69, located 1.6 billion kilometers beyond Pluto. The probe will study the object sometime near Jan 1 2019, if NASA approves and funds the extended mission.